Family Day

Kids Thrive at Take Your

Child to Work Day Event in D.C.

Remaining Engaged
Foreign Affairs Day
Marks a Milestone
state.gov/statemag

June 2015

CUS ON

Part two of State Magazine's two-issue series highlighting unique challenges and opportunities at AF/W posts

Mali | Burkina Faso | Benin

Isaac D. Pacheco
Editor-in-Chief
pachecoi2@state.gov

Ed Warner
Deputy Editor
warneres@state.gov

Luis A. Jimenez, Jr.

Art Director
jimenezla@state.gov

Michael Hahn
Associate Editor
hahnmg@state.gov
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36
Family Day

Take Your Child to

Work Day a Success

June 2015 // Issue Number 601

Contents 18
Features
10 Office of the Month

SIA: Supporting the Global Mission

12 Remaining Engaged

Foreign Affairs Day Marks a Milestone

Center Offers Wide Range of Programs

16 On the Front Lines

Embassies Promote Peace in West Africa

18 Mali

Photo by IBMR & MAM

14 Active IRC

Embassy Bamako Makes a Difference

24

24 Burkina Faso

Building Connections in a Time of Transition

30 Benin

U.S. Mission Aids Benin Revitalization

38 Strife-Resilient PD

Center Connects with Bangladeshi Youth

39 New Solutions

Competition Promotes Entrepreneurialism

40 WEAmericas TechCamp

Columns
2 In the News

Photo by Isaac D. Pacheco

Promoting Women-Led Business Growth

7 Direct from the D.G.

30

8 Diversity Notes
9 America the Beautiful
42 Active Years
43 Lying in State
44 In Brief
45 Retirements
46 Medical Report
47 Obituaries
Photo by Panoramas

48 End State

In the News

HR Analyzes
Womens Advancement

The Bureau of Human Resources, in partnership with the employee

group Executive Women@State (EW@S), recently analyzed data on the
advancement of female Foreign Service generalists and specialists and
female Civil Service employees, examining the period from 1994-2014.
The data, presented in March by Heather Hurley and Pamela Parker of
HRs Office of Resource Management and Organization Analysis, show
that women have been increasingly promoted to high ranks, but they
do not equal male representation in senior leadership. In 1994, women
comprised 10 percent of the ranks of chiefs of mission and 24 percent of
deputy chiefs of mission. By 2014, those figures had grown to 35 percent
and 29 percent, respectively.For generalists, the number of women
increased at every senior and mid-level grade during the 20-year period
from 27 percent to 40 percent of total officers. This percentage is expected
to grow to 42 percent by 2024.
Among the FS job cones, public diplomacy has overtaken consular as the
one in which women are most represented; they now make up 54 percent
of PD officers. The political cone has remained the least-represented cone
for women, but female representation has risen from 19 percent to 34
percent for political officers.
Women in the Civil Service also made gains in professional occupations,
growing from 8 percent in 1994 to 23 percent in 2014. The HR/RMA data
from 2009 through 2013 show that female FS generalists retire at lower
rates than men, but leave their jobs for reasons other than retirement more
frequently. HR/RMA says plans are underway to institute exit surveys for
all categories of employee by late 2015 to find out why women are leaving
the Department.
Some factors that may impede womens advancement came to light
during a recent series of focus groups hosted by the Office of Civil Rights.
The groups had more than 60 participants, including those from EW@S,
which was founded, in part, to determine why women lag behind men

Among those involved with the focus group and data analysis efforts were,
standing from left, Heather Hurley of RMA, Monica OKeefe of EW@S, Ruth M. Hall
of S/OCR and Vicky Bonasera of the Balancing Act. Seated, from left, are Julianne
Paunescu of EW@S, S/OCR Director John M. Robinson and Barbara Thomas of the
Balancing Act.
Photo by James Pan

in senior leadership roles, and from the Balancing Act, an employee

organization promoting work-life balance policies.
S/OCR Customer Service Representative Ruth M. Hall, who convened
the groups, said many participants reported caregiver burden and caregiver
bias still affected female advancement and that women were leaving the
Department, in many cases, for work-life reasons, as they often shoulder a
greater share of caregiving responsibilities for children and elders. Women
may require more flexibility at different points over their careers, she noted.
Women in the focus groups also told S/OCR they experience such
gender biases as the imposter syndrome, in which female employees may
not advance because they feel unworthy to compete for opportunities or
higher positions; thequeen bee syndrome, in which they see others as
threats; or the double bind, in which competence and niceness are seen as
mutually exclusive in women.
In other cases, focus group participants spoke of feeling marginalized,
and expected to do office housework. These patterns of workplace gender
bias were also described by Sheryl Sandberg and Adam Grant in a series of
articles in The New York Times. However, focus group participants said
awareness can help overcome gender stereotypes, and that having support
from mentors, peers and supervisors can help develop womens leadership
skills and strengths, and frame their accomplishments for advancement.

Post Facilitates Cabinet

Secretarys Visit
The U.S. Consulate in Calgary, Canada, showcased the traditions
of Canadas Stoney Nakoda people during a March visit to the area by
U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan. The post also set up a visit by
Duncan to Nakoda Elementary School, located on the Morley Reserve
in Alberta, Canada. There, Duncan participated in a sharing circle on
aboriginal education and heard from students about their challenges
and how excited they are to be graduating high school.
Other participants included U.S. Consul General Peter Kujawinski,
Alberta Education Minister Gordon Dirks, chiefs of the Stoney Nakoda
Nation, representatives from Canadian government offices of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada. Also involved were
students from the four schools of the Stoney Educational Authority.
At a visit to the Glenbow Elementary School in Cochrane, Alberta,
Maureen McLaughlin, the Education Departments director of International Affairs, met with students, alongside Consul General Kujawinski.
2

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Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, center, poses with students from four
schools on the Morley Reserve for indigenous people in Alberta, Canada, during his
March visit.
Photo by Casey Bohn

They sipped traditional rosehip tea, ate bannock prepared by the students, and heard students tell of the success of a student-driven project
that raises funds for an aboriginal food bank through the sale of cards
featuring student art.

First Alumni Conference

Held in Abidjan

At the first alumni conference in Abidjan, Ambassador Terence McCulley addressed participants as high-quality leaders who can help explain
America to Ivoirians and help us realize our objectives in Cte dIvoire.
The March 18 gathering brought together 85 alumni from approximately 12 different exchange platforms, including the Fulbright and
Humphrey programs, International Visitor Leadership Program, Mandela-Washington Fellows, Study of the U.S. Institutes (SUSI), Sports
Visitors and the African Womens Entrepreneurship Program (AWEP).
Dr. Kouadjo Hilaire, a professor at Felix Houphouet-Boigny
University in Abidjan and a 2009-2010 Fulbright alumnus, said, it
was really great to bring so many who benefited from these programs
together to start thinking of what they might do together.
Ambassador McCulley told the group of this years U.S. priorities
in Cte dIvoire, and the alumni asked about such matters as human
rights, eliminating AIDS, entrepreneurship, English language study,
cultural promotion, and increased embassy-alumni interaction. He said
this is the year the United States will evaluate the progress the country
has made post-crisis. (Cte dIvoire experienced a major upheaval
following a disputed presidential election in 2010.) McCulley said he
was optimistic that Cte dIvoire will regain its
place [as an economic engine] in the region.
At the event, alumni sessions focused on grant
writing,
managing alumni organizations and
F CUS ON
using social media. Ekponon Agathe, a SUSI
2013 program alumnus, spoke of having learned
to submit a grant proposal and looked forward

Ambassador Terence P. McCulley speaks to the 2012 Pan-African Leaders Youth

Leaders Program.
Photo by Yacouba Soro

to being invited to future events. Anna Coulibaly, a 2014 SUSI

alumna, said the conference was especially useful because, through
networking with other alumni, we can see the big picture and what
is possible for us to do in the future.
Via a Skype link from the offices of the Africa Regional Services
in Paris, attendees engaged with Professor Lex Paulson, an attorney
and international consultant, who has worked with nongovernmental organizations across Africa and spoke about organizing lessons
learned from the Obama presidential campaigns. His experience as
a U.S. congressional aide encouraged alumni to lead in the political
development of their own country.

E Bureaus Hold Leadership Day

The Departments effort to advance critical U.S. economic interests
and trade agreements got a boost in April when Under Secretary for
Economic Growth, Energy and the Environment Catherine Novelli
convened the fifth annual Economic Leadership Day to highlight
officers contributions to U.S. economic, energy and environment
diplomacy. The E family bureaus of Economic and Business Affairs,
Energy Resources, and Oceans and International Environmental and
Scientific Affairs, as well as the Office of the Chief Economist and
economic and science advisors in regional bureaus, came together to
sharpen their skills and learn how to communicate about complex
national security issues and achieve policy objectives.
Secretary of State John Kerry told the gathering of the importance
of trade and job creation, particularly where violent extremism and
conflict remove opportunities for prosperity. He said U.S. energy
and climate diplomacy are inextricably linked, and the shift to cleaner
energy markets benefits everyone.
General Electrics vice president and senior counsel for global
government affairs and policy, Karan Bhatia, explained how her
company became more global after the 2008 financial crisis, increasing
its presence in emerging markets and calling on employees to be
global, be local.
Under Secretary Novelli and Bhatia also discussed strategies for
communicating in large organizations, with Novelli calling for messages
to be kept simple. Brevity is a gift, she said.

Secretary of State John Kerry speaks to Economic Leadership Day 2015 attendees in
Washington.
Photo by Michael Gross

Presentations also highlighted how communication tools such as

Econ@State, Corridor, Haver Analytics and Twitter can help Foreign
Service officers carry out their responsibilities.
Meanwhile, several posts abroad did their own activities for the
day, including Tri-Mission Paris, where economic officers from the
embassy, along with U.S. Missions to the Organization for Economic
Cooperation and Development (OECD) and UNESCO, gathered
at OECD headquarters to discuss using social media to amplify
economic messages.
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In the News

Post Educates
Immigration Attorneys
During the March conference of the Bangkok chapter of the
American Immigration Lawyers Association, staff of the U.S. Embassy
in Manila participated in panel discussions, answered questions on embassy procedure and showcased its streamlined immigrant visa process.
The visiting attorneys learned of the immigration challenges facing
Filipino nurses, fiancs and investors, among others, and heard from the
Bureau of Consular Affairs chief of advisory opinions and from officials
of the U.S. Consulate General in Chennai (via videoconference) and
the Department of Homeland Securitys United States Citizenship and
Immigration Services.
The conferences approximately 40 attorneys also toured Embassy
Manilas grounds and participated in a visa applicant for a day exercise
in which they gathered in the consular sections waiting area and picked up
their mock identities, passports, confirmation sheets and ticket numbers.
They then proceeded to the security checkpoint and walked through the
steps in applying for a visa.
The embassys revised application process uses streamlined prescreening
and biometrics, and has shaved at least one hour off a typical applicants

At the immigration lawyers conference, Consul General Donna Blair, right, answers
questions from visiting attorneys.
Photo by Harold Peter Elvia

wait and processing time. The visiting attorneys said the experience helped
them to demystify the immigration process, better assist clients and facilitate legitimate travel.
Consul General Donna M. Blair then answered post-specific questions,
further promoting transparency in the visa application procedures. She said
the visit with Bangkok district attorneys helped to clarify the respective
roles of immigration lawyers and consular officers in the execution of U.S.
immigration policy and visa services to better serve the public.

Post Supports NASA

Administrators Visit
The U.S. Embassy in Buenos Aires in February hosted NASA Administrator and former astronaut Charles Bolden, Jr. on his four-day visit to
Argentina. The visit included the signing of an agreement with the government, several outreach events and an excursion to a town in the Andes
where he met with representatives of an Argentine high-tech company that
has cooperated with NASA on the construction of several satellites.
The NASA delegation, along with Ambassador Noah Mamet and
other embassy personnel, first met with the host nations ministers of
planning and foreign affairs, and officials of NASAs Argentine counterpart, with whom they signed the agreement providing Argentine
assistance with data downlinks and analysis for two NASA probes that
are studying Earths radiation belts.
Bolden gave presentations on NASAs vision for reaching Mars and
his personal experiences as an astronaut to audiences totaling more than
700 attendees at the Buenos Aires Planetarium, San Andres University
and the National University of La Plata, which is helping to develop
Argentinas space launch vehicle program. He also hosted a lunch with
10 science and technology experts from the government and private
sector, spoke at an embassy-hosted reception with 80 of the embassys
closest S&T contacts and met with the embassys eight Marines.
In the Andean town of Bariloche, the NASA delegation and the
ambassador met with officials of CONAE, the Argentine Space Agency
contractor, which cooperates with NASA. At the contractors site, the
group toured the satellite integration and testing facilities, and Bolden
spoke to the companys engineers.

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Ambassador Noah Mamet, right, and NASA Administrator Charles Bolden, left, meet
with youth ambassadors.
Photo by Jorge Gomez

Boldens visit received extensive, positive coverage in traditional and

social media, and helped Ambassador Mamet highlight the bilateral relationship and the promise of continued NASA-Argentine cooperation.

Protocol Promotes
Understanding of Japan
In advance of the official visit of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe,
the Office of the Chief of Protocol partnered with the Embassy of Japan to
host a cultural exchange for Washington, D.C., area schoolchildren. Third-,
fourth- and fifth-grade students from the National Cathedral School in
Washington, the Japanese Language School and an Arlington, Va., school
converged at Washingtons Japan Information and Culture Center to learn
about Japanese culture and traditions.
Chief of Protocol Peter Selfridge and the wife of Japans ambassador
to the United States greeted children, and Ambassador Selfridge spoke
of the nations enduring bonds. He told attendees that his work involves meeting interesting people and facilitating official engagements,
but that he keeps in mind that the motivation behind the meetings,
schedules and formal introductions [is] to strengthen our relationships
with our allies all over the world.
The children learned about Japanese table etiquette and the correct
way to hold chopsticks. They also modeled traditional Japanese festival wear and participated in a photo shoot in their outfits. They also
tried Kendama, a Japanese game that involves catching a small ball

Noe Steadly of the Japan Information and Culture Center teaches Washington, D.C.,
schoolchildren how to eat with chopsticks during the Protocol event.
Photo by Jessica Andrews

in a cup, and learned about Origami, creating a host of paper cranes.

There was also a sushi snacka surprising taste for some, but one that
most found enjoyable.
The visit showcased the strong U.S.-Japan friendship, with the
children themselves saying they knew the event was keyed to Prime
Minister Abes coming White House visit.

Immigration Outreach
in Mexico
The U.S. Embassy in Mexico City kicked off its
third annual temporary worker outreach campaign
last fall with a new approach and theme. Aimed at
a younger Mexican audience than prior efforts, this
outreach looked to link campaigns against visa fraud
and predatory labor recruitment practices to more
accessible graphics and local events.
The campaigns slogan was Oyeme Cuate, or
Listen to me, buddy! offering friendly warnings
against coyotes and making clear the consequences
The anti-coyote campaigns staff hosts an event in Tehuacan, Mexico, during week three of the outreach.
of irregular immigration. A campaign caravan trav
Photo courtesy of Veopix and Selfie Marketing
eled to 15 municipalities in central and southern
Mexico, holding events in town squares promoted
by local radio announcements and colorful posters at bus stops and
Megan Phaneuf, a consular officer involved in planning the outreach,
shopping centers. Flyers distributed before the caravans arrival were
said, the project was unique due to its accessibility; it really touched
redeemable for Department-branded soccer balls throughout each
people on the personal level, in the places where they live and work in
weekend event. At the events, staff led children in songs and games
Mexico. Attendees questions showed they had little knowledge of the
reinforcing the No to Coyotes message, and at dusk attendees
visa process or even the location of their local consulate or embassy, facviewed an immigration-themed movie and an animated short film in
tors that could render them vulnerable to perpetrators of fraud.
the Oyeme Cuate style.
Mexican Secretary of Foreign Relations officials praised the camEvent staff polled attendees to learn about the factors driving irpaign during the U.S.-Mexico Consular Dialogue in Washington,
regular immigration and its long-term impact on lives. More than
D.C., in January; meanwhile, Embassy Mexico City plans to conduct
14,000 people responded, offering insight into the lives and travel
another campaign against fraud and coyotes later this year with Mexipatterns of people in rural Mexico.
can government involvement.

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In the News
Embassy Jazz Jam
Highlights Art Form
To celebrate Jazz Appreciation Month (JAM), held annually in
April to celebrate this original American art form, the U.S. Embassy in
Mbabane held two major events, including one in which Ambassador
Makila James and the Public Affairs Section (PAS) hosted government
officials, civil society leaders, members of the business community, artists and musicians for an evening of live jazz on April 18.
The event highlighted the talent of Swazi female vocalists, who
performed a combination of American jazz standards as well as a few
of their own jazz-influenced pieces. The event also highlighted the importance of freedom of speech and expression. In addition to encouraging corporate support of the arts, the ambassador and PAS leveraged
this forum to draw attention to the high-profile arrest, conviction and
ongoing detention of a local magazine editor, Bheki Makhubu, and
human rights lawyer Thulani Maseko, who were sentenced to two years
in prison for contempt of court after publishing articles critical of the
judiciary. (Their cases were also highlighted as part of the Department's
Free the Press campaign this year.)
To reach an even wider audience, PAS also awarded a small grant to
a local arts promotion organization to raise awareness of jazz as an art
form and promote creativity, independent thinking and free expression,
especially among Swazi youth. As part of the grant, students from four
local high schools were trained in jazz performance and the history of
jazz. The project culminated in a free public concert at a local theater

Swazi artist, Khole, performs at the Jazz Appreciation Month event at the chief of
mission residence in April.
Photo by Nomfundo Msibi

on International Jazz Day (April 30), during which the students performed jazz standards and other jazz pieces of their own choosing. This
Youth Jazz Sessions concert featured emerging young jazz artists (one
of whom was only 12 years old) and some of Swazilands best professional jazz artists.
The audience was also treated to a brief segment of Ken Burns documentary Jazz to give it more background about the history of this
uniquely American art form. The theater was filled to capacity and the
U.S.-funded project received very positive media coverage afterward.
As one high school student in the audience exclaimed, I had no idea I
loved jazz!
Embassy Mbabane has focused on arts programming and outreach
efforts to reach Swazi youth to support its messages on HIV/AIDS
prevention, democracy and human rights promotion, entrepreneurship
opportunities and enhanced understanding of American culture.

Groundbreaking Held
for Data Center

The Bureau of Information Resource Management (IRM) in April

held a groundbreaking ceremony for construction of a future modular data center (MDC) at the Beltsville Information Resource Center
(BIMC) in Beltsville, Md.
The MDC is a self-contained, ultra-efficient data center that is constructed to use a fraction of the energy of traditional brick-and-mortar
data centers while achieving 10 times the information technology (IT)
capacity. The MDC will be the Departments first to support the data
center capabilities of the Enterprise Server Operations Center (ESOC)
as part of IRMs Systems Integrations Office.
Attending the ceremony were Keith D. Miller, deputy assistant secretary for Operations in the Bureau of Administration; Dr. Glen Johnson,
deputy chief information officer for Operations in IRM; Jasper R. Daniels, director of IRMs Systems Integration Office; and Larry Wingfield,
general project manager for the vendor providing construction and
implementation services for the MDC.
The MDC will support the Departments policy to increase virtualization environments across data centers, maximize resource use and
gain the benefits of consolidation.
Supporting the MDC projects management, oversight and final
commissioning is a joint project team involving ESOC, Business En-

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Taking part in the groundbreaking are, from left, Larry Wingfield, Keith D. Miller, Dr.
Glen Johnson and Jasper Daniels.
Photo by Kristopher C. Munch

gagement Center, Enterprise Networking Management, the A Bureaus

Real Property Management and Facilities Management units, and the
Bureau of Diplomatic Security.

Direct from
the D.G.

ARNOLD CHACON,
DIRECTOR GENERAL OF THE FOREIGN SERVICE

Bilateral Work Agreements

Mark 35th Anniversary
On June 12, 1980, the first bilateral work agreement was signed between the U.S. and Canada. Now,
35 years later, Im pleased to report that we have bilateral work agreements with 120 foreign countries.
Bilateral work agreements are established through a formal exchange of diplomatic notes between
the United States and another country. They foster family member employment by helping to expedite
the work permit process for U.S. family members who are seeking employment on the local economy
overseas while under chief of mission authority.
While these agreements may vary from country to country, the key goals we strive to attain in each
are: 1) no work permit fees, 2) permits that are valid for the duration of the sponsors assignment
(accreditation), 3) timely processing of work permits (the United States processes permits within
three to four weeks), 4) no job offer required to receive a permit requirement and 5) involvement of a
government-to-government process.
In addition, the Department permits the waiving of civil and administrative rights pertaining to the
employment activity but not the criminal immunities of the family members. This is because we have a
long-standing obligation to provide our employees abroad with the maximum possible protection from
potential judicial problems.
The Family Liaison Office (FLO) works in tandem with Protocol and the offices of Legal Adviser and
Foreign Missions to ensure that established agreements are truly bilateral and reciprocal. Meanwhile, we
continue to seek new, solid agreements.
In countries where bilateral work agreements do not exist, family members may still be able to obtain
work permits. If a host country issues a work permit to a family member of a U.S. government employee
assigned to that mission overseas, then the precedent is established, and the country is added to the list of
those having de facto work arrangements. There are currently de facto arrangements with 38 countries.
Increasing employment opportunities for family members is important to the Department. Its no
surprise that employment outside the mission varies significantly post to post. In many locations,
American and international schools, local and international businesses, and NGOs all provide established
sources for family members seeking employment. Increasingly, virtual work, telework and selfemployment are viable options. While not all local economies offer equal opportunities, FLO draws upon
eligible family member (EFM) successes to share best practices with post management, CLOs and fellow
EFMs to stay abreast of options for family members.
FLO is committed to increasing awareness of opportunities outside U.S. missions and assisting family
members in building skills, such as networking. FLO programs and resources support family member
employment at U.S. embassies and consulates, on the local economies and for those returning to the United
States. Currently, about 36 percent of EFMs are working either inside or outside the mission.
Family members are an integral part of our Foreign Service community. We recognize that it is in our
interest to increase overseas employment opportunities because they contribute to the retention of our
talented employees.
For more information on programs and resources to help support family member employment, please
visit the FLO website.

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Diversity
Notes
JOHN M. ROBINSON
OFFICE OF CIVIL RIGHTS

Avoiding Per Se Reprisal

I bet youre thinking: Another article on retaliation?But trust me, this topic is worthy of a great deal
of discussion.
As you might remember from a previous Diversity Notes, retaliation or reprisal (the technical term) is the
most frequently alleged basis of discrimination each year. In fiscal 2014, one out of every five Equal Employment
Opportunity (EEO) complaints filed by Department employees contained an allegation of reprisal.
Reprisal refers to adverse workplace actions taken against an individual because he or she engaged in the
EEO process. The scope of involvement can include those who seek EEO counseling, file complaints, serve
as witnesses and even those who publicly oppose workplace discrimination (e.g., speaking out at a town
hall meeting). The guidelines of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) specifically
prohibit singling out staff, ridiculing them, demoting them or denying them training opportunities in
retaliation for participation in the EEO process.
One form of reprisal is called per se reprisal, which one can easily commit without realizing it. Many people
who engage in acts of per se reprisal are hardly aware at the time that they are, in fact, breaking the law.
Per se reprisal is any statement or action that in and of itself expresses contempt for, distrust of or
disapproval of EEO activity and has the reasonable potential to deter employees from using the EEO process.
In other words, its any statement or action that would make someone think twice about using the EEO
process, or that creates a chilling effect. The law also protects employees who oppose what they believe is a
discriminatory policy or practice. Management may engage in per se reprisal in numerous ways, including:
. Making derogatory or disapproving remarks about the EEO process, especially in an open forum, and
. Discouraging someone from participating in the EEOC process.
Participating in the EEO complaint process is a right provided to employees by U.S. civil rights laws.
Anyone who wants to exercise this right should feel free to do so without fear of having to pay for it
down the road with lost career opportunities, damage to reputation or other professional repercussions.
Administrative judges at the EEOC have such a low tolerance for per se reprisal that generally, even if an
underlying complaint of discrimination lacks merit, an employee may prevail in cases in which there is
sufficient evidence of per se reprisal.
Supervisors and managers should understand that reflexively striking back against employees whove
filed EEO complaints is not only illegal, but could also be costly to the Department. The best way for
supervisors and managers to prevent committing reprisal is to support, without exception, participation in
the EEO complaint process and to abstain from gossiping or commenting on EEO activity.Additionally,
supervisors and managers must be very careful not to allow the fact that an employee has chosen to use the
EEO process affect how they interact with the employee.
The Department strives to maintain a workplace that is free from discrimination and harassment,
including acts of reprisal, which may derail productivity and weaken morale. We all play an important role
in fulfilling this mission. For questions regarding your rights and responsibilities under EEO laws, contact
the Office of Civil Rights or visit http://socr.state.gov/OCR/.

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AMERICA
THE
BEAUTIFUL

Windmills rise up along the landscape surrounding the Columbia

River Gorge in eastern Oregon.
Photo by Gord McKenna

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Office of the Month

The Special Issuance Agency

Supporting the global mission

By Robert Kris, consular officer, Special Issuance Agency, Bureau of Consular Affairs
Photos by Ed Warner

n any given day, a Foreign Service

officer may arrive at the Special
Issuance Agency (SIA) to apply for
an initial diplomatic passport and visa for
a newborn, so the entire family can return
to post. A White House courier may also
drop off passport applications for staffers
planning to accompany the president on an
official tripand want the passports by days
end. And the agency may get a call from
a government department, such as Health
and Human Services, requesting expedited
passports service for employees heading to
assist in the Ebola response.
Each week, SIA receives thousands of
applications for special issuance passports
(official, diplomatic and no-fee regular) at
its main office and two public counters at
Main State and the Foreign Service Institute.
The applications come in the mail from U.S.

Visa Unit Supervisor Christopher Pressey takes a

phone call in the SIA offices.

10

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embassies, consulates and

military bases, and from
employees of more than
200 federal agencies and
offices. SIA also handles
individual applicants
whove been referred
by their congressional
representatives.
Christine Harold,
SIAs director, said she
and the more than 100
employees of SIAa
mixture of Civil Service,
Foreign Service and
Members of SIAs customer service operation include, from left, Vanessa
contractorsare proud
Seher, Nick Velez, Samantha Danfora and Laura Nelson. The team provides
of their work. Every
logistical support for federal and DOD passport agents.
day we positively impact
the varied and critical
regular passport for a Peace Corps volunteer
missions of our colleagues throughout the
to a diplomatic passport for a member of the
federal governmentits an exciting challenge
Foreign Agricultural Service. SIA responds to
and a great feeling, she observed.
urgent travel needs and prioritizes workflow
SIA has a unique clientele, from the White
based on the applicants travel date, always
House to the general public, elaborated
ready for last-minute requests. SIAs processing
Battie Stewart, a passport supervisor who has
team enters the applicants data, then prints
been with SIA since it separated from the
and performs quality control on the more
Washington Passport Agency in 1994.
than 125,000 passport books issued by SIAs
SIA is one of the Bureau of Consular Affairs
Washington, D.C., office each year.
29 domestic passport agencies and centers,
SIAs Adjudication Manager Blanchie
part of the Directorate of Passport Services.
Gerrald said that when new initiatives and
However, much about SIAs operations
global events require an applicant to travel
differs considerably from CAs fee passport
immediately, such as for the funeral of the
program. The general public, for instance,
late Nelson Mandela, SIAs team works
contacts the National Passport Information
expeditiously to issue the necessary documents
Center for all passport-related questions. But
and assist with visas.
SIA operates its own call center and email
A key aspect of SIAs work that separates
inquiry box, staffed by skilled communications
it from CAs traditional fee-based passport
representatives, noted Customer Service
program is its focus on whether the applicant
Manager Sarah Dirck. SIAs three customer
is entitled to the passport he or she seeks.
service managers train and support the 1,640
Passport specialists at SIA dont just verify an
no-fee passport acceptance agents stationed at
U.S. military bases and at such federal agencies applicants U.S. citizenship and identity, but
also whether the applicant meets such factors
as the Federal Bureau of Investigation and
as the correct employment status and type and
Marine Mammal Commission.
length of assignment to merit a particular type
SIAs passport specialists are trained on
of passport. They also assess the validity of
procedures and required documentation
the applicants documents and determine the
for every type of passport, from a no-fee

Adjudication Manager Blanchie Gerrald looks up from her work.

passport endorsement thats appropriate.

Passport Specialist Regina Greene said
consular officers and Locally Employed Staff
play a vital role in assembling the necessary
documents SIA needs to process no-fee
passport applications without delay. Always
keep in mind our goal is to be helpful,
Greene said.
SIA Assistant Director Michael Ma said its
important to verify an applicants entitlement,
because issuing the book to people who are
not entitled harms the status of the book.
In several instances, special issuance passport
holders have misused them or engaged in
inappropriate actions, damaging U.S. bilateral
relations. Those with special issuance passports
must use them responsibly. Thus, SIA only
issues them to those who are properly entitled.
With that in mind, SIA Entitlement Manager
Danny White said SIA wants to provide the
best customer service in the world, 24/7.
In addition to its passport issuance role, SIA
also contains a Visa Unit that obtains foreign
visas for Department of State employees and
eligible family members. The unit also assists
desk officers, post management officers,
Congress, the Supreme Court, White House
and roughly 150 federal agencies to procure
official and diplomatic visas from 140 different
foreign embassies. This year, the Visa Unit
expects to handle 13,000 visa application
requests and process an additional 30,000
official letters for federal employees who
submit their visa applications directly to a
foreign embassy.

Holding an informal meeting in Passport Specialist Liane Williams' cubicle are from
left Passport Specialist Kelly Nilan and one of SIAs three customer service managers,
Sarah Dirck.

The Visa Unit handles all requests for any

U.S. government traveler going to Russia on
official business. (Special events like a global
summit, the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi or
a presidential visit to Moscow can spark urgent
requests for hundreds of Russian visas.) SIA
works to gain a strong rapport with all foreign
embassies, helping enhance their readiness to
deal with visa requests. For instance, SIA also
arranges all visas for temporary duty assignments
to Iraq. Visa Specialist Robert Dickerson said
submitting applications to the Iraqis used to take
a considerable amount of time, but through
good communications with the Iraqi Embassy,
they now use SIA as the model for government
agencies. SIA also works with the Department
of Defenses Casualty Assistance Offices to

provide prompt passport services to family

members of U.S. servicemen and women who
are severely injured or killed abroad.
SIA Communications Representative Jennifer
Holley packages all completed passports being
sent overseas. She says she likes helping travelers
and handling the final step of the passport
issuance process.
More information on SIA is available online. Its
office is at 600 19th Street NW, South Entrance,
Washington, D.C., where the counter is open
Monday-Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
SIAs counter at the Employee Services Center
at Main State is open Monday-Friday from 9:00
a.m. to 2:45 p.m. The counter at FSI is open
every Tuesday in Room E5125 from 9:30 a.m. to
2:00 p.m.

Working SIAs main passport application counter are Passport Specialists Mildred Alexander and Rin Musser.

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Remaining Engaged

At the podium U/S Patrick Kennedy eulogizes David Collins

and Rayda Nadal. AFSA President Robert Silverman stands
beside flag.

Photo by Robert Stewart

Foreign Affairs Day marks a milestone

By Michael Hahn, associate editor

ay Day is a day of rites and

commemorations. This year
it represented a moment both
solemn and festive for the
Departmentthe 50th celebration of Foreign
Affairs Daya time to salute employees and
retirees for their dedication and service, and
honor those whose lives were lost on duty
overseas. The days events, hosted by Director
General Arnold Chacon and co-sponsored by
AFSA and DACOR, also provided a venue
for far-flung former colleagues to reconnect.
Acknowledging the occasion in a special
White House message, President Obama said,
every day we wake up to a world that is more
secure and more peaceful thanks to dedicated
Americans in the U.S. Foreign Service
Your tireless work advances the causes of
freedom and opportunity, and your devoted
service reflects an unwavering commitment to
our nations founding ideals.
Highlighting the day was a special tribute to
two fallen diplomats, David Collins and Rayda
Nadal, whose names were unveiled by AFSA
President Robert Silverman on the memorial
plaque in the Departments main lobby. With
Silverman presiding, family and colleagues
gathered for the AFSA Memorial Dedication
Ceremony as a military honor guard stood at
attention. Under Secretary for Management
Patrick Kennedy spoke about the honored

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heroes: Their lives, their character, their ideals

and their joy touched all they served with and
highlight the best of the Foreign Service.
Collins, a financial management officer at
the U.S. Consulate in Lagos, Nigeria, died on
April 28, 2013, after rescuing his wife from
drowning at an embassy outing. Nadal, an office
management specialist serving in Moscow, died
on May 26, 2014, due to injuries sustained in
her apartment after a gas explosion.
Opening the plenary session of Foreign Affairs
Day, Director General of the Foreign Service
Arnold Chacon praised the Departments
workforce for making the institution an
exceptional place. Todays challenge, he noted,
is a rapidly changing demographic with nearly
a third of all employees becoming eligible to
retire within the next five years. The skills and
competencies that have marked Foreign Service
excellence will be in greater, not lesser, demand,
Chacon said. He hailed foreign affairs veterans
who continue to be engaged in foreign affairs
and advocating for more resources, recruiting
talented people, informing the public and
Congress about the Departments vital work.
Under Secretary Kennedy spoke about
pressing concerns on the management front:
reduced budgets and tightened security, and
coping with a new range of threats that have
recently headlined the news, such as Ebola
and cybersecurity. The Department remains

vigilant and ready to take charge in times of

crises, he said.
In addition, specialized training for personnel
and infrastructure improvements continue
apace. Since 1999, more than 32,500 employees,
nearly half of the Departments personnel, have
moved into newer, safer and upgraded buildings.
On another upbeat note, Kennedy cited a recent
Forbes magazine ranking of best employers
nationwide in which the Department of State
was ranked the highest among federal agencies,
and 34th among all U.S. employers, ahead of
John Deere and Stanford University.
The morning sessions keynoter, Assistant
Secretary for Western Hemisphere Affairs
Roberta Jacobson, offered a survey of progress
in that region and the valued partnershipson
education, energy and economic issuesthat
keep the U.S. actively engaged. When she
turned to Cuba, she expressed hope that
U.S. openness will encourage the Cuban
government to follow suit, especially on human
rights and democratic practices.
In his videotaped message to attendees,
Secretary John Kerry saluted the Department
of State family for ensuring that our country
does the right thing for other people in other
parts of the world in a smart way, adding a
touch of wit: The State Department is still
the perfect place for sleep-deprived patriots to
hang their handbags and hats. We work hard

Clockwise from top: Secretary of State John Kerry addresses Foreign Affairs Day attendees. Photo by Robert Stewart; Eloise Spalla gazes at the wreath commemorating her
grandfather, David Collins, who died in Lagos in 2013. Photo by Robert Stewart; The most striking changes I see at the Department today are the ones brought about by new
technologies, according to Kevin Ellison, a former public diplomacy officer. Photo by Ed Warner; From left, Gwyn and Jim Creagan, former ambassador to Honduras who is now
professor at the University of the Incarnate Word in Austin, and Tibor Nagy, who served as ambassador to Guinea and Ethiopia, now vice-provost at Texas Tech in Lubbock. All
three are active in recruitment and mentoring students about life in the Foreign Service. Photo by Ed Warner; Retired Ambassador Cynthia Efird says that remaining committed
is no different from her active career days. She sits on the boards of the Public Diplomacy Council and Public Diplomacy Alumni Association. Look us up and check out our
websites, she said. Photo by Ed Warner

every single day and many, many nights, and

we do have each others backs. He reminded
all that the recruitment of young talent is a
continuing need.
Connecting with friends and former
colleagues is at the heart of Foreign Affairs Day,
and this years edition did not disappoint. In
between the seminars and speakers, attendees
reminisced and recharged. Michael Orlansky
may have left Washington, D.C., for the Green
Mountains of Vermont (his last assignment
before retiring in 2011 was as program officer
in the Bureau of Educational and Cultural
Affairs), but he still advocates for the Foreign

Service by promoting careers in diplomacy

among high school and college students in
Burlington, VT. assisting with adult education
programs for two local nonprofits and serving
on the Vermont Council on World Affairs.
Another former FSO, Greg Crouch, now lives
in Arkansas, volunteers for the Ozark Literary
Council and lectures on diplomacy at the
University of Arkansas in Fayetteville.
From solemnity to festivity, Foreign Service
Day 2015 was capped by the awarding of the
Director Generals Cup to outstanding former
employees. The winner of the Civil Service
Cup was Donna Scali Bordley, director of the

special K Fund for emergencies for 25 years,

and of the Foreign Service Cup, Ambassador
Cresencio (Cris) Arcos, who served as
chief of mission to Honduras and assistant
secretary in the newly created Department of
Homeland Security. Both were applauded by
the events 300-plus colleagues and invited
guests. The DACOR Foreign Service Cup
award was presented by DACOR President
Marty Hurwitz to former Ambassador Ron
Neumann, currently president of theAmerican
Academy of Diplomacy.

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F CUS ON

Part tt
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Active IRC

Center offers
wide range of programs
By Gabrielle G. LaFavre, intern,
Public Affairs Section, Embassy Ghana

hen it comes to engaging

local students and their
teachers about American
culture and education, entrepreneurship
and other topics, the Information Resource
Center (IRC) at the U.S. Embassy in
Accra, Ghana, uses hands-on experiential
methods.
This approach underscores the
importance of engaged and effective
presenters, said Public Affairs Officer
Danny Fennell. The IRC, he continued,
prioritizes effective learning results, and
has seen success on an impressive array
of topics.
The teaching sessions are often led by
Information Resources Officer (IRO)
Stephen Perry, who sees the IRC as an
informal learning environment outside of
school or work, where people can study,
ask questions, in an unstructured and
enjoyable way.
Through engaged learning, the
IRC teaches soft skills such as
entrepreneurship, and offers English as a
second language (ESL) instruction and
other academic programming, and classes
in website development. For its course on
entrepreneurship, the IRC taught women

In cooperation with the posts political section, PAO Daniel Fennell informs students about think tanks and governmental policy.
Photo by Andrew Ekuban

in the African Womens Entrepreneurship

Program how to create their own business
websites and use e-commerce applications like
PayPal to sell online to a worldwide clientele.
The women learned to set up, run and maintain
their new websites and PayPal accounts, which
broadened their commercial reach.
For budding entrepreneurs, the IRC stages
boot camps on topics ranging from how to
write a business plan to using Twitter and
LinkedIn to grow a market. The instruction,
Perry said, always includes a focus on applying
the information, to ensure experience enforces
theory. He asks students to create a sample

be a bastion of democracy and free speech in

Western Africa.
Another important IRC program is ESL
education. Although Ghana is an Anglophone
country, many students speak a local language
at home. The presence of traditional dialects
can complicate learning proper, grammatically
correct English, IRC Director Rita Awuku
said. The IRC offers webinars and assistance
from Regional English Language Fellows,
and highlights the Bureau of Educational and
Cultural Affairs' American English website,
which offers grammar rules, free downloadable
texts, quizzes and other resources.

''[The IRC] prioritizes effective learning results, and

has seen success on an impressive array of topics.''
- Danny Fennell, Public Affairs Officer

business plan that must address a social or

economic issue in their home country, so that
they can envision the impact of their mock
companies on a national scale and pivot from
a profit focus to finding real-world solutions.
By wrapping every lesson in a game or activity
having relevancy to everyday life, students
respond more enthusiastically.
The IRC provides intellectual property rights
(IPR) and piracy information
that Fennell said is important
for young people hoping
to enter into international
commerce. By demonstrating
how U.S. companies operate in
the IPR environment, our IRC
plants important seeds for the
next generation of Ghanaian
businesspeople and fosters a
useful exchange on this hot
topic, Fennell explained.
The training also ensures
that
Ghana will continue to
IRC Assistant Jennifer Yeboah leads a Boot Camp for entrepreneurs.
Photo by Andrew Ekuban

The IRC also collaborates with other

sections of the embassy and local schools,
and the political section, for which it
helped explain how think tanks contribute
to government policy in Ghana and in the
United States. It also collaborates with the
EducationUSA office to present educational
search strategies and the use of Massive Open
Online Courses (MOOCs) to further learning.
In tandem with the regional environmental
officer, the IRC promotes environmental
preservation and climate change programs in
Ghana. These partnerships improve learning
and promote opportunity and development for
all Ghanaians.
The IRCs success can be measured in
student and learner membership, which Perry
said has increased by over 150 percent since
2011. Ghanaians love the programs, and often
request presentations for additional audiences,
said Fennell. With a validation like this, IRC
Accra seeks to broaden its course offerings using
the experiential approach.

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Embassies promote peace in West Africa

hile the 16 countries of West

Africa boast some of the fastest
rates of economic growth in
the world, they also face myriad challenges
to peace and security that threaten to
undermine progress and destabilize the
region. These challenges range from threats
to national security, such as the continuing
insurgency in northern Mali and the specter
of violence in the run-up to the March 2015
elections in Nigeria, to regional threats such
as wildlife trafficking and violent extremism.
Therefore, U.S. embassies have been deeply
engaged in promoting peace and security in
the region, focusing on conflict prevention
and resolution, counterterrorism and security
sector cooperation.
West Africa is developing from a region
marked by violent transfers of power to one
where democratic principles and practices
are the norm. U.S. efforts have helped this
transformation, especially in countries
that have experienced recent conflict or
electoral violence, such as Nigeria. Africas
most populous country and home to its
largest economy, Nigeria has long suffered
from internal conflict, and its 2011 polls
were marred by allegations of fraud and
postelectoral violence. In preparation for the

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presidential election in March, the United

States developed a robust interagency strategy to
help the Nigerian government conduc6 credible
elections and promote the peaceful resolution of
conflict throughout the electoral process.
Political officers at the U.S. Embassy
in Abuja, Nigeria, such as Dan Joyce, had
important roles in implementing this strategy
on the ground. Weeks before the election,
Joyce traveled to the city of Kaduna, the site
of the worst postelectoral violence in 2011.
Employing his Hausa language skills, Joyce
engaged with local religious, political, law
enforcement and civil society leaders, and
conveyed the U.S. desire to see peaceful, free
and fair elections. On election day, he led a
four-person observer team in northeast Bauchi
state. Mission staff who worked for months to
encourage transparent and peaceful elections
found election day to be memorable. Of
his tour in Abuja, Joyce said, Its the kind
of work that I envisioned: classic bilateral
diplomacy. And its a great way to start out my
career in the Department.
American diplomats in West Africa have
long worked to bring conflicts to an end.
The U.S. Embassy in Bamakos engagement
in Mali, for example, has been integral to
making progress toward a peaceful resolution

of the crisis that began in 2012 with a coup

dtat and rebellion, followed by a terrorist
takeover of much of the countrys north. In
2013, Ambassador Mary Beth Leonard called
on indigenous armed groups to condemn
human rights abuses perpetrated by the
terrorist invaders. This helped the armed
groups distinguish their cause from that of
the terrorists, leading to dialogue on the
issues driving the conflict, such as underdevelopment in the north.
Diplomats at Embassy Bamako continue
to foster this dialogue through engagement
with Malis government and the armed groups
on both sides of the conflict. Political officer
Josh Morris and several embassy colleagues
travelled to Algiers as informal members of
the international mediation team facilitating
peace negotiations. Morris was also posted to
Nouakchott and considers himself extremely
fortunate to have had such interesting postings
around the world.
But my relevance, he added, my
individual contribution, has never been greater
than my time in West Africa.
U.S. diplomats in West Africa also work
on crucial security issues, including illegal
fishing, piracy, violent extremism and
trafficking in narcotics, persons and wildlife.

CUS ON

By Danielle Bayar, foreign affairs officer, Bureau of African Affairs

Wildlife poaching and trafficking has, in fact,

become a U.S. priority due to its impact
on iconic and endangered species such as
elephants and rhinos, and its connection
to organized criminal networks. First-tour
economic officer Mich Coker and the U.S.
Embassy in Lom played instrumental roles
in encouraging the government of Togo to act
against ivory traffickers.
In doing so, the embassy helped make history.
Six tons of ivory caught in a huge seizure in
Malaysia in December 2012 were traced to
Togo, prompting Coker and other embassy
officials to meet with government and civil
society representatives to learn more about the
local trade in ivory. When the U.S. television
show Nightline used a hidden camera to show
the identity and location of a notorious ivory
trafficker in Lom, Coker went to work with
Togolese authorities to secure the traffickers
arrest. Embassy Loms partnership, with
Togolese law enforcement and anti-wildlife
trafficking NGOs grew, as did their successes. In
January 2014, Togolese law enforcement made
its first seizure of an outbound ivory shipment on
African soil: two massive containers containing
more than four tons of ivory. Secretary of State
John Kerry congratulated Togos president and
Embassy Lom.

Starting my career in Togo was the most

rewarding thing I could have hoped for, Coker
said. The U.S. mission continues to support
Togolese efforts to stop wildlife trafficking.
Junior and mid-level embassy officers are
often at the forefront of the U.S. response
to sudden events in West Africa. The U.S.
Embassy in Ouagadougou, for example, has
one political officer and one economic officer
who have been covering the dramatic events
in Burkina Faso since October 2014, when
mass protests forced the nations president to
step down after 27 years in power. Political
officer Johanna Fernando attended the first
meeting in January of the international group
for monitoring and supporting the transition
in Burkina Faso, and continues to attend these
meetings and report on the political situation
and preparations for elections in November.
Economic officer Martin Vaughan also stepped
in during the uprising to write 12 awardwinning cables on unfolding developments.
With help from the embassy, the
transitional government has also sustained
its engagement on counterterrorism and is
preparing to send peacekeepers to the United
Nations missions in Mali and Sudan to help
battle violent extremism. Fernando said that,
at a small post like Ouagadougou, You end

up working on more than just your portfolio;

you are really exposed to a range of issues.
As Assistant Secretary Linda ThomasGreenfield wrote last issue in her introduction
to this series on the nations of West Africa,
the region offers opportunity for professional
development and the chance for officers to
have substantive portfolios early in their
careers and cover issues outside of the normal
scope of their positions.
Left: Members of the Embassy Abuja Election Observation
Mission stand in front of a polling unit in Bauchi where
results are being announced. From left to right: Derrick
Tolliver, Victor Atuchukwu, Dan Joyce, Musa Mohammed,
Friday Mudi, Linda Parker and Yakubu Ahmadu.
Photo by Reuben Odum
Center: Bystanders celebrate and domestic observers
take notes as an election official announces the results
of presidential elections at a polling unit in Bauchi state
in northeast Nigeria on March 28.
Photo by Dan Joyce
Right: Ambassador Robert Whitehead, at right, and
Economic Officer Mitch Coker inspect a shipment of
ivory seized by Togolese authorities in January 2014.
Photo by Noriko Horiuchi

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Mali

Embassy Bamako Makes a Difference

By Nadiya Ruppelius, Community Liaison Officer,
U.S. Embassy in Bamako

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ali is at the forefront of U.S.

policy interests in West
Africa: restoring democracy,
promoting peace, fighting
terrorism, combating violent extremism and
advancing economic growth. Its capital,
Bamako, located in the transitional eco-region
of the Sahel, is a surprisingly comfortable
place to live and work, offering impressive
professional and personal rewards.
With a thousand-year tradition of
hospitality and tolerance and a 20-year record
of democracy, Mali was a model of stability
until 2012.
Following a coup and the seizure of twothirds of its northern territories by separatist
and extremist groups, Mali endured a disruptive
and painful period. But since January 2013,
with intervention by France and other members
of the international community, the country
is back from the brink. The establishment
of the U.N.s Multidimensional Integrated
Stabilization Mission (MINUSMA) and the
success of presidential elections allowed for a
peaceful transfer of power, the lifting of U.S.
aid restrictions and the return of the Peace
Corps in 2014. When Ebola reached Mali
in November last year, disaster was averted
thanks in part to the U.S. Embassy in Bamakos
swift coordination of all sections and agencies

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to assist the Malian government. Mali was

declared Ebola-free in January.
Today, Mali is in transition as bilateral
engagement is re-energized, and the U.S.
mission works to support the countrys efforts
to consolidate democracy, promote national
reconciliation and build a foundation for longterm stability in the region.
An assignment in Bamako can be challenging
and rewarding, fulfilling several professional
requirements under the Career Development
Program. Staff members often take on greater
responsibilities than at a larger post, handling
VIP visits and innumerable events regardless of
cone or grade. Even junior personnel can find
themselves working directly with senior officials
representing U.S. interests. Mali is dynamic
and challenging; you live and work in a country
whose issues are at the forefront of U.S. foreign
policy with folks inside and outside the embassy
who are tireless, creative and sharp, said
second-tour political officer Ketura Brown.
The embassys front office values personal
and family time and actively encourages staff
to leave at close of business. Today, the U.S.
mission presence consists of six government
agencies and more than 75 direct-hire
Americans, housed in a complex completed
in the fall of 2006. According to USAID
Deputy Director Erin Pacific, this has been an
intensive year, since USAID/Mali is restaffing
and mapping its five-year strategy while
navigating security constraints and containing
Ebola. The posts cross-sector strategy calls for
supporting Malians to secure a democratic,
resilient and prosperous future through $120
million in annual appropriations. The prospect

of a peace accord with the North adds positive

momentum. Mainstreaming governance and
resilience principles into our traditional health,
education and economic growth programming
will make our work environment even more
dynamic, Pacific said.
A Rich and Varied Culture
While the Malian empire encompassed,
from the 7th-14th centuries, parts of what are
today Niger, Nigeria, Chad, Burkina Faso and
other nations, it fell into decline by the 15th
centurys end. The empires legacy, though,
lives on in some 500,000 ancient manuscripts
held in public and private libraries and four
UNESCO World Heritage Sites, including
the mosques and shrines of Timbuktu. With
international partners, the embassy is helping
to reconstruct parts of Timbuktu that were
destroyed by extremists.
While Mali has an old history, it has a
decidedly youthful demographic, with more
than two-thirds of its population under
25years of age. With youth comes creativity
and vitality, and Malis musical tradition is one
of the greatest in the world. Many Americans
will recognize in Malis music some of the roots
of U.S. musical traditions, particularly blues,
jazz and rock.The music is part of a culture of
exuberance and hospitality.
As soon as I arrived in Bamako I was struck
by the friendliness of the Malian people,
remarked David Linfield, a second-tour officer
working in the consular section. He said
schoolchildren in the ancient Islamic site of
Djenn will cheerfully take a break from their
dutiful study of the Quran to show visitors

Clockwise from top left: A member of the musical group Kora Mansa (Kings of Kora) holds a studio
session in Bamako as he sits among koras, Malians' answer to the guitar, and plays a gourd drum.
Photo by Mauro Demony; Villagers ply their wares in a market near the mud mosque of Djenn. Photo by
Sara y Tzunki; Children actively participate in the classroom in Mali by raising their hands to respond
to the teacher.

Photo by Michelle Mesen

Opening spread: A boy rides a bicycle in front of the Great Mosque

of Djenn, designated a World Heritage Site by the United Nations
Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in 1988 along
with the old town of Djenn, in the central region of Mali.
Photo by UN Photo/Marco Dormino
Below: Boatmen guide a pirogue full of traders across a waterway as they
depart from Djenn at the end of the market day.

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around and share their heritage. He added that

the Peace Corps has also done wonders for
our reputation here. I find the most common
reaction when someone suspects Im American
is, Hey, are you Peace Corps? I love you guys!
Whether one is camping in the Utah-like
terrain just south of Bamako or taking a canoe
ride down the mighty Niger River, serving in
Bamako has a whole lot going for it, Linfield said.
A city of contrasts, Bamako has luxury hotels
and high-rise modern buildings, even as many
streets remain unpaved and full of bumps and
potholes. There are also colorful beat-up taxis
and public transport vans, the sotramas, that
share the roads alongside flashy SUVs, swarms
of motorcycles, bicycles, pushcarts, donkey carts
and livestock.
Although most houses in the capital have
little or no electricity, there are grand mansions
and houses with modern amenities along
the river and in developing areas of town.
Women can be seen washing their dishes and
clothes by the side of the road or in the river
while children bathe in buckets on the street.
Bamako is a fully accompanied post, and there
are many families in the mission community
with children varying from 8 months to 18
years old.The newly renovated American

Club at the old Marine House has a bar,

exercise suite, tennis court, swimming pool,
volleyball court and a well-equipped and secure
playground.Bamako has a growing number
of diverse restaurants and a few semi-westernstyle supermarkets.Embassy housing tends to
be spacious and most homes have swimming
pools.Residences are spread throughout the
city. Because the capital is relatively isolated,
in-country travel and international airfares
tend to be expensive.Additionally, security
considerations at this high-threat post limit
internal travel.
The American International School of
Bamako boasts a high-quality faculty and
has 166 students enrolled this year. It offers
instruction from pre-K through the 12th
grade and is housed in a modern building that
opened in 2011. The schools large, secure
campus is approximately four kilometers from
the downtown.
Employment opportunities for eligible family
members are excellent, and most family members
who wish to work are able to do so.Some
knowledge of French (or the local language,
Bambara) is important; to get the most out of
ones experience in Mali, the embassy offers a
language program in both languages thats open

to all employees and eligible family members.

According to Charg dAffaires Andrew
Young, Morale is high in Bamako because
our team works on fascinating issues critical to
our national security in a place where they can
also immerse themselves in a rich West African
culture and enjoy fun activities like sports,
cruises on the Niger River or exploring a worldclass music scene.
Most people assigned to Mali enjoy their
experience and are sad to leave.In addition to
a tight sense of community, the post offers the
rewards of serving and making a difference in
a consolidating democracy. That strong sense
of inclusiveness and purpose among those at
Embassy Bamako can really bring out the best
in a Foreign Service tour.
Clockwise from top left: The Bandiagara in Dogon country
in Mali is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Photo by TREE
AID; Young drummers perform along the roadside in front
of a Baobab tree on the road to Djenn. Photo by Mauro
Demony; A resident of Sibi-Sibi performs the famous
Dogon Mask Dance to mark the opening of a USAID
project. Photo by Doug Brock; A boy inscribes verses from
the Qur'an on a wooden tablet. Photo by Mauro Demony;
Charg dAffaires Andrew Young speaks to press outside
Timbuktus Grand Mosque during a recent visit to the city.
Photo by Tim Poudiougo.

Western
Sahara

At a Glance Mali

A LG E R I A

Capital: Bamako
Government Type: Republic
Area: 1,240,192 sq km
Population: 16,455,903

M AU R I TA N I A

MALI
Timbuktu

Languages: French, Bambara,

Fufulde, Dogon, Maraka, Malinke,
other indigenous languages
Religions: Muslim 95%, Christian

Gao

2%, Animist 2%
GDP per capita: $1,600

er

Nig
SENEGAL

Bamako

NI G E R

Djenn

COTE D'IVOIRE

Boundaries are not necessarily authoritative

GHANA

Indonesia, Bangladesh, Thailand

Import partners: France, Senegal,

BURKINA FASO
NIGERIA

G U IN E A

Export partners: China, India,

BENIN
TOGO
1225 5-15 STATE (INR)

Cte dIvoire, China

Currency: West African CFA franc
Internet country code: .ml
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23

Burkina Faso
Building connections in a time of transition
Story and photos by Isaac D. Pacheco

CUS ON

CUS ON

ast October, Burkina Faso made

international headlines when its citizens
deposed then-president Blaise Compaor
in a violent uprising after his political allies
attempted to amend the countrys constitution
so he could run again as president (despite
having already held the office for 27 years).
Although tensions ran high in the initial days
following the change of power, the countrys
interim leaders jointly stabilized the government
and quelled citizens fears about a military
junta. Burkina Fasos current transitional
government has pledged to heed the voice
of the people when they vote in democratic
elections this October and has promised that
the process will be fair and transparent.
The [government] established a biometric
registration system during the last election cycle
in 2012, so the results are pretty accurate, said
Souleymane Boly, political assistant at the U.S.
Embassy in Ouagadougou. Obviously, its a
process and there are still many issues, especially
on governance, justice, corruption and
things like that. We havent had a democratic
transition since 1967.
As a result of the recent upheaval, most
news reports out of Burkina Faso have focused
on events in and around the nations capital,
Ouagadougou, and its second-largest city,
Bobo-Dioulasso. However, the hectic urban
pace in Burkina Fasos major cities is the
exception in a country that otherwise prides
itself on being attached to the land (more than
80 percent of Burkinabe work in agriculture).
Nowhere is this attachment more evident than
in small towns and villages along the highways
and rural byways of this landlocked West
African gem.
This is the land of the upright people for
which the country is named. Locals are quick
to offer warm smiles and greetings in French
or one of the nations many tribal languages.
People here are proud of their unique cultural
histories and eager to share their stories with
visitors. Food, tribal affiliations, architecture
and art can vary appreciably from one region
to another, particularly between the countrys
arid northeast and tropical southwest. These
differences are reminders of the nations

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diversity and are part of the unique cultural

fabric that makes Burkina Faso so special.
Its a really fascinating place to work. Its a
place where not a lot of people can say theyve
been, and the kind of chances that you have for
cultural interactions are really unique because
this is a place where people are very genuine,
said Martin Vaughan, Embassy Ouagadougou's
economic and commercial officer.
In his first overseas tour, Vaughan is the sole
American officer responsible for monitoring
and reporting on the countrys economic issues.
His office promotes U.S. business interests
and investment, and assists the Burkinabe
with developing an economy that has shown
promising signs of growth in recent years.
One of the things that we are doing in a
place like Burkina Faso, where there hasnt
been a history of major engagement with the

U.S. business community or companies, is

building foundations, he said. Were laying
groundwork and strengthening ties so that
there is potential for investment and for
export here in the future, particularly as the
economy grows.
Since Burkina Faso currently ranks near the
bottom of the U.N.s Human Development
Index, the embassy emphasizes initiatives
that empower some of the countrys 17
million residents to take an active role in
improving their lives. One notable success
is the self-help program, which provides
communities with small grants and promotes
entrepreneurship. The programs microloans
have been used for a variety of ventures,
from building a grain mill to buying sewing
machines and purchasing supplies for a
factory that makes shea butter soap.

Clockwise from left: Bobo-Dioulasso boasts several interesting

landmarks, including the 19th Century-era grand mosque, which is a
well-preserved example of the Sudano-Sahelian architectural style;
The Monument aux Martyrs towers above Ouaga 2000, an upscale
neighborhood on the southern fringe of Ouagadougou that is the site of
many hotels, embassies, courthouses and other government buildings;
In the countrys southwest corner, two riders navigate the singular dirt
road connecting the cities of Banfora and Gaoua; A glimpse through
a break in the stone walls at the Ruins of Loropni, Burkina Fasos
only UNESCO World Heritage site, shows a now-verdant interior that a
millennia ago was a bustling town and strategic stopping point along
the trans-Saharan gold trade route.
Opening spread: A group of boys make playful faces at a large street
market in Bobo-Dioulasso.

Its not a huge sum of money, its like $4,000-$5,000,

but its something these communities can take to build
something that will improve their way of life and bring in a
little more income, said Vaughan.
As the standard of living improves, its going to be more
and more important for U.S. companies to be here, and so
thats what were trying to create, solid relationships that we
can build on.
Another aspect of development that has shown great
success in Burkina Faso is the embassys anti-malarial
campaign, spearheaded by USAID. With more than seven
million cases reported annuallymany of which are repeat
infectionsmalaria is a major public health problem in
Burkina Faso that contributes to increased morbidity and
mortality. The dramatic need for resources has placed the
country on the fast track to becoming a malaria focus
country, a distinction that would enable the mission to play
an even greater role in educating residents and combating the
spread of the disease.
I think our malaria work has had the most impact.
Thats where our strongest card is and where we are best
positioned, said Jim Parys, Embassy Ouagadougous
USAID representative. We sit inside the national malarial
control programs offices and keep the finger on the pulse
of what they need. By filling in the countrys frequent gaps
in lifesaving commodities such as bed nets and medicines,
we have contributed to the drop in the malaria mortality
rate over the past years. We are moving on now to expand
our interventions to underserved rural areas that suffer from
being far away from a health post.
Along with development projects, the embassy focuses
on promoting regional security, good governance and
human rights. Ambassador Tulinabo Mushingi sees the
countrys partnership with the United States as one of the
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CUS ON

most vital bilateral relationships in the region,

and actively encourages embassy staff to
engage with the Burkinabe on issues that are
important to both nations.
We think Burkina Faso is the place to be,
not only for the geopolitical location of the
country, but also because the Burkinabe people
are eager to work with us, he said. Security
cooperation in this region, in Burkina Faso, is
a very important policy objective of ours, and
given that we still have their good will and the
Burkinabe are willing to work with us, it has
been really a good place for trying to push out
our agenda on security cooperation.
The embassy views the countrys large
youth population as a key demographic for
maintaining regional stability and security, and
sponsors a youth council, exchange programs
and alumni outreach presentations for

citizens between the ages of 25 and 35. These

programs encourage entrepreneurship, and
help develop business, leadership and English
language skills so that the countrys young
leaders will have the tools to succeed in the
international marketplace.
The work here is very engaging and at
times difficult, but it also reaps the greatest
rewards because you can physically see the
response of the people, said Brenda Soya,
Embassy Ouagadougous public affairs officer.
Partners and community members are so
warm and express deep appreciation for what
we do. I think that makes up for all the long
hours or some of the challenges that come
with a lack of infrastructure.
For FSOs, the challenges of working at
a smaller post in a developing country are
numerous. But for many, including Soya, the
tight-knit community feeling and dynamic
opportunities to engage on issues outside of
ones cone or specialty, make service at Embassy
Ouagadougou a worthwhile endeavor.
We are all involved in setting up the
mission goals, and assessing our missions
progress, she said. So, for an entry-level
officer, its a great experience because you get
to really see what is happening in a broader
embassy context. For a mid-level officer, there

are real chances for leadership and to really

develop professional skills.
The missions family-friendly community,
high-quality international schools and myriad
job opportunities for eligible family members
(EFMs) also highlight the embassys focus on
work-life balance for employees.
Management works really, really hard to
try and accommodate each EFM [who] wants
to work, said former Community Liaison
Office Coordinator Ima Essien-Jones. Its a
magnificent place for kids. For me, I couldnt
ask for more.
As the mission continues to support Burkina
Faso during its political transition, Ambassador
Mushingi said its important for embassy
employees to maintain their strong sense of
community and shared purpose.
We have here one team and one mission
philosophy that has been accepted, and
everybody is pushing in the same direction,
he said. All of us within the embassy, all the
teams, have to be able to speak with authority
about what the U.S. government stands for,
what the U.S. government is doing. Whether
we are talking about our Sahel strategy, the Feed
the Future initiative or Trade Africa, we have an
island here in Burkina Faso where we can push
those policies forward.

At a Glance Burkina Faso

MALI

NIGER

Capital: Ouagadougou
Government Type: Parliamentary republic
Area: 274,200 sq km

BURKINA FASO

Population: 18,365,123
Languages: French, native African
languages belonging to the Sudanic family

Ouagadougou

Religions: Muslim 61%, Catholic 19%,

animist 15%, Protestant 4%

Bobo-Dioulasso

GDP per capita: $1,700

Banfora

BENIN

Gaoua

GHANA

TOGO

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Thailand, Turkey, Cte dIvoire, Ghana

Import partners: Cte dIvoire, France,
Ghana, India, China, Togo
Currency: West African CFA franc

COTE D'IVOIRE
Boundaries are not necessarily authoritative

Export partners: China, Indonesia, Japan,

Internet country code: .bf

1226 5-15 STATE (INR)

Clockwise from top left: Workers laugh and talk

during a shift change at a mango processing
facility near Banfora that provides job opportunities to Burkinab women in the community; A
girl carries a basket of grain atop her head at
a market in Bobo-Dioulasso; Pamela Lee-Pow
Ayoung serves meals to girls at the Sic Gira
Imana orphanage with help from Kaliel Soya (a
Daisy scout volunteer), right, and GySgt. Randy
DeLeon (former MSG detachment commander),
back center; Where there is flowing water there is
erosion, and one spectacular example is located
several kilometers outside the city of Banfora.
The Dmes de Fabedougou are 1.8 billion-year-old
sandstone formations, carved of wind and water
erosion into rounded pinnacles that jut out of
the landscape like giant termite mounds. Visitors
are allowed to climb up to the top of many of the
domes, which provide breathtaking views of the
surrounding countryside.

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Benin
U.S. Mission aids Benin revitalization
By the Public Affairs Section, U.S. Mission in Benin

CUS ON

nown for three centuries as part

of Africas Slave Coast, what is
now Benin has a deep, rich culture.
French predominates among the
more than 50 languages. Its economic and de
facto political capital, Cotonou, holds about
15 percent of the nations 10 million people,
including entrepreneurs from around the world
and a smattering of diplomats.
Benins more recent story is one of peaceful
transition from dictatorship to democracy
by way of internal consensus-building and
internationally-lauded elections. A nation
of ethnic and religious diversity, Benin is
also incredibly youthful. Two-thirds of its
population was not alive to witness Benins
democratic transition 25 years ago, but these
youths are well aware of their nations chronic
underdevelopment. They want economic
prosperity and commercial dynamism.
The U.S. Embassy in Cotonou shares that
vision. Engaging with youth is a key mission
priority. Some of Benins most prominent young
civil society and business leaders, and a few of
its most popular performing artists, fill the ranks
of the Ambassadors Youth Council, providing
insights on mission programs and initiatives.
The embassy community brims with civicmindedness. Recently, Assistant Public Affairs
Officer Stephanie Peterson and her husband
found themselves in a morning embassy
caravan to a beach, where she and other
mission volunteers joined hundreds of young
Beninese who had answered a mass text from
the embassy, announcing a first annual beach
cleanup. The event, co-sponsored by Mission
Cotonou, its Youth Council and Benins

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Ministry of Environment, was actually where

I met the ambassador for the first time,
Peterson remembered. It was her second day of
work, her suit traded for ratty jeans, ready to
hunt for garbage.
At the cleanup, Benins Minister of
Environment Raphael Edou (an International
Visitor Leadership Program alumnus) and
more than 600 Beninese youth rid a central
Cotonou beach of its litter, some of which was
turned into art by young women artists for
display at the American Cultural Center. Its
a familiar theme in Benin: taking something
that many would write off and giving it new
life, Peterson said.
The missions youth partnership continues to
diversify and fortify. Entrepreneurship training
reaches as many as 2,200 young Beninese
at a time. The posts financial independence
summer camps give disadvantaged youth
marketable skills and lasting livelihoods. At the
posts concerts and performances, headlined
for free by some of Benins most prominent
recording artists, thousands of young Beninese
hear messages of economic and political
empowerment. Under mission auspices, young
Beninese teach other youths how to protect and

cherish the constitutional rights that Benin and

the United States hold in common.
The U.S. mission also protects and
cherishes Benins ecology. The Pendjari-Arli-W
National Parks complex has West Africas
largest concentrations of elephants and lions,
plus antelope, hippopotamuses, buffalo
and hundreds of species of birds. Yet these
populations are threatened by encroachment,
poverty, criminality and climate change. The
missions interagency environmental working
group works closely with key conservation
NGOs, Beninese officials and other partners
to promote stronger oversight and sustainable
commercialization for one of Benins most
compelling natural resources.
As Benin has limited resources overall,
a population with unmet nutritional,
educational, and health needs, and a
surrounding region rife with religious
extremism and transnational criminality,
the U.S. mission is active in these areas as
well. It works with Beninese authorities,
NGOs, other diplomatic missions and
Benins dynamic population to enhance the
countrys capacity to advance politically,
socially and economically.

Helping a nation thats a model for tolerance,

human rights and democracy is directly relevant
to U.S. foreign policy and national security
objectives, is rewarding work and gives the U.S.
mission team a sense of purpose.
Driving outside the capital, its hard to
miss the lumbering iron arms of Cotonous
economic engine: the Port of Cotonou, which

daily supports as many as half a million

people through its economic activity. Benins
management of the port is one of its most
promising, if complex, commercial endeavors,
accounting for 40 percent of Benins annual
budget. Lashing together the interests of Benin
and its neighbors with more than half its cargo
destined for neighboring Niger and Nigeria, the

ports vitality is a direct result of a $160 million

investment in Benins future by U.S. taxpayers
via the Millennium Challenge Corporation
(MCC), the success of which has spurred well
over $1 billion in subsequent private sector
investments in the port. The nations continued
good performance on economic, social and
political indicators has earned it a second round

Top left: Two young fishermen smile as they fish at the

mouth of the lagoon connecting Cotonou to the ocean.
Photo by Soazic Gardais
Above: The rust and gray-blue color palatte of a home in
Porto Novo provides a vibrant backdrop for a car parked
in front of the residence.
Photo by Adam Cohn
Right: A herd of elephants crosses a path in Pendjari
National Park, located in northwest Benin.
Photo by Soazic Gardais
Opening spread: Boats rest at anchor in the lagoon in
Cotonou, Benin. Cotonou is the economic capital of the
small West African country and is located on the coastal
strip between Lake Nokou and the Atlantic Ocean. The
city is cut in two by a canal, the lagoon of Cotonou,
which connects the Lake to the Atlantic.
Photo by Mark Fischer

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of MCC financing, this time to address Benins

energy shortfall through sectoral reforms and
investments in green, renewable energy.
Benin is also a place offering rewards for
adventurous travelers. Well west of Cotonous
port is the entry to Babs Dock, a quaint
place marked by a humble sign. From here,
covered with woven palm fronds and jutting
into a hidden lagoon, a five-meter skiff takes
visitors into a winding tract of mangroves and
onto a wide lake. A dock on the far side leads
to a resort of sorts where a tiny sailboat, a
weathered sea kayak, a sagging volleyball net,
low-slung lounge chairs and cold La Beninoise
brews constitute all that is necessary for an
in-country R&R.

There are other attractions elsewhere in

Benin. Near the capital are historical sites
such as The Point of No Return and Tree of
Forgetting, around which slaves were forced
to march in the belief that doing so would
cause them to forget and therefore not haunt
their enslavers. Just up the road, the town of
Ouidah offers a no less engrossing look at the
roots and vitality of voodoo, practiced here
before anywhere else. The town of Ganvithe
Venice of Africais a living village dating back
hundreds of years to a time when building a
city on stilts over a lake was a workable defense
against invasion.
Travelers who are hungry need only sit down
at any of Cotonous many buvettes for a plate of
peanut sauce on mashed yams, a bottle of West
African suds, and if theyre lucky, Chelsea Blue
battling on the pitch.
Throughout Benin, change is underway.
Recently, residents of neighborhoods adjacent
to Cotonous airport called their neighbors to
come see the charming if bizarre phenomenon
of an orphaned jetliner being rolled seaward
by a team of enterprising local businessmen.
Theyd convinced someone to allow them
to finally remove that old carcass from the
runway and park it for good on a nearby

beach, promising to clean it and renovate it as

Cotonous hottest new nightclub.
The truth may often be stranger than
fiction here in Benin, but visitors will do
well to reserve judgment until after happy
hour with their colleagues, perhaps one day
in a grounded first-class seat, peering out
the fuselage window as night sets in on the
Gulf of Guinea. This is Benina dynamic,
ever-changing, quirky country that continues
to capture hearts and provide some pretty
incredible stories along the way.
Clockwise from left: The Fulani tribe, or Peul in French,
are known for their intricate facial tattooing. This
photo was captured on the ambassadors recent trip
to the north, outside the village of Sinend. Photo by
Stephanie Peterson; Villagers outside of Sinend welcome
Ambassador Michael Raynor with dancing as he visits the
farm site of a Peace Corps volunteer. Photo by Stephanie
Peterson; Beninese youth come out in droves to participate
in the second annual International Coastal Clean-up Day
beach cleanup, organized by the public affairs section.
Photo by Erik Peterson; The Basilica of Ouidah in Benin was
built in the early 20th century and dedicated on November
9, 1989. Photo by Victorillen; Petrol, or gas, is sold on street
stands like this beside a colonial-era Beninese house in
Ouidah. Photo by Shubert Ciencia; Dugout canoes rest
beside another fishing boat on the banks of the Lake
Doukon near Lokossa. Photo by jbdodane.com

NIGER

At a Glance Benin

BURKINA FASO

Capital: Cotonou

Pendjari
National
Park

Government Type: Republic

Area: 112,622 sq km
Population: 10,160,556

BENIN

Languages: French, Fon, Yoruba, other

indigenous languages

NIGERIA

TOGO

Religions: Catholic 27%, Muslim 24%,

Vodoun 17%, Protestant 10%, other
(Christian and indigenous) 22%
GDP per capita: $1,900

GHANA

Export partners: Lebanon, China, India,

Nigeria, Niger
Import partners: China, India, U.S., Malaysia,
Thailand, France

PortoGanvi Novo
Ouidah
Boundaries are not necessarily authoritative

Cotonou

Currency: West African CFA franc

Gulf of Guinea
1227 5-15 STATE (INR)

Internet country code: .bj

Family Day

Kids Thrive at Take Your Child to Work Day Event in D.C.

By Ed Warner, deputy editor

he State Departments annual Take

Your Child to Work Day continues
to grow in popularity, attracting a
record 914 registrants, according to Human
Resources Bureau's Work-Life Division,
which organized the April 23 event. The Dean
Acheson Auditorium was filled to capacity
for the opening ceremony, however, the
impressive turnout wasnt the only reason the
day was a memorable one.
Laughter filled the auditorium as the
children were treated to a visit by a member of
the Departments extended familyBen, the
yellow Labrador retriever and DiploMutt
owned by Secretary of State John Kerrywho
burst into the room and immediately jumped
up on the secretary, searching for a treat
hidden inside his pocket.
The frisky 2-year-old canine set the tone for
a day in which the kids not only got to hear
an ambassador talk about life in the Foreign
Service, but have the secretary laud them
for, in some cases, speaking not one foreign
language but two or three.
Those languages are going to serve you in
your life and careers, Secretary Kerry said.
When one child asked how he could
become secretary of state, Kerry offered career
encouragement, saying theres nothing someone
cannot do, if they want it enough.
Do what you do well, he urged.
Secretary Kerry also praised the childrens
parents, branding them ambassadors of the
United States regardless of their official job
title, or employment in the Foreign Service,
Civil Service, Diplomatic Security Service
or at USAID. They represent U.S. values:
justice, fairness and democracy, and promote
U.S. interests.
Deputy Assistant Secretary for East Asian
Pacific Affairs, Ambassador Kristie Kenney,
echoed this in her keynote speech. Imagine, be
curious, learn from your teachers, your friends,
she said, adding that it was her friends who
urged her to take the Foreign Service exam,
though shed never been out of the United States
before in her life and hadnt dreamed of a career
in diplomacy. Shes since been ambassador to
three nations.
Kenney showed a film on Foreign Service
work that quoted young officers while on

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assignments in Argentina and Haiti, and told

of how she uses social media to keep in touch
with distant friends. She said she texted with a
friend in the Philippines just that morning to
commiserate over the Washington Nationals
loss and would also text about Take Your Child
to Work Day.
The youths then set forth for a day that was
divided into workshops and demonstrations
hosted by the Departments bureaus and offices.
The Secretarys Office of Global Partnerships, for
instance, hosted two innovation-themed sessions
in its cubicle-free offices with their clustered
desks and colorfully painted walls that resemble
a Silicon Valley startups headquarters. The

highlight: S/GP let youngsters try out virtual

reality headsets from Oculus Rift and Google
Cardboard. The goggle-like devices let users
see a computer-generated 3-D world thats
unique for its 360-degree view that changes
instantly, whichever way the user turns his head.
The Department isnt using the gear yet, said
a staffer as he helped students adjust the goggles,
but the U.N. has used it with 360-degree video
of a Syrian refugee camp, to provide users a
tour without having to travel to the scene.
S/GP also had a photo booth where youths
could get their picture taken while wearing odd
adornmentsthe stuffed penguin was a hit
and a partnerships brainstorming workshop

Clockwise from opposite left: Secretary Kerry answers youths

questions at the days kick-off event. Photo by Ed Warner; A fife
and drum corps performs in the Dean Acheson Auditorium. State
Department Photo; James Thompson, director for innovation at
S/GP, leads S/GPs anti-bullying workshop. Photo by Ed Warner;
Jennifer Froetschel prepares to take digital fingerprints of
Behson Safavian, son of Seemak Safavian, a DS engineer. Photo
by Ed Warner; Jack Day, right, uses Oculus Rift virtual reality
goggles provided by S/GP, as Aidyn Yerkin, son of Zhomart Yerkin
of OES, looks on. Photo by Ed Warner; A DIplomatic Security K-9
handler introduces Atticus J. Pacheco to bomb sniffing dog,
Cooper, at a meet and greet. Photo by Isaac D. Pacheco.

focused on the topic of bullying, where

facilitators Jim Thompson and Aldrinana Leung
wrote youths' suggested responses directly on the
rooms dry-erase walls.
Elsewhere, the children met the Bureau
of Diplomatic Securitys bomb-sniffing dogs
and built tin can men out of piles of beads,
wire and empty Altoids tins. The Office of
Facilities Management Services (FMS) hosts the
activity each year to reflect its role as the central
processor of recycled materials at Department
headquarters, said FMS staffer Julie Sobelman.

The Ralph J. Bunche Library offered a Cocoa

Around the World theme, with chocolate treats
served in its Cocoa Caf. Attendees painted
leaves to decorate a faux cocoa tree, toured
cocoa-growing countries via Google Earth,
got information on fair trade and designed
their own candy wrappers. They also saw a
staff member whos a magician make chocolate
milk disappear before their eyes. More than 90
children attended.
There was a new major activity, a 6-kilometer
Walk for Water that began at the C Street

entrance of the Harry S Truman Building. It

featured speeches by senior Department officials,
plus appearances by former Atlanta Falcon Ovie
Mughelli and a former National Hockey League
star, Pat LaFontaine. Ambassador-at-Large
for Womens Issues Cathy Russell told of how
millions of women daily spend a total of 140
million hours worldwide getting water for their
families from wells and rivers.
Freeing women from this burden by making
clean water more accessible can expand
opportunities for women and girls, she said.
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Strife-Resilient PD
Center connects with
Bangladeshi youth

By Calvin Hayes, cultural affairs officer,

U.S. Embassy in Dhaka, Bangladesh

or Bilkis Irani, a Bangladeshi law student and online news

reporter aspiring to study in the United States, the nearly
two-hour journey to the American Center in the capital city of
Dhaka by bus and rickshaw presents a degree of uncertainty. He is
never sure if a general strike will close the Center before he arrives.
However, he often makes the trip anyway, to meet with like-minded
young people at the Center looking for information resources, safety
and a diversion from Dhakas political turbulence.
Irani dreams of speaking English fluently so he can study at an
American law school. The environment at the American Center
enhances my education and offers a haven for learning, he said.
Bangladeshs prolonged general strikes leave young people with
few places to go, but thousands have braved the ongoing political
violence to visit the Center, a hub of safety and activity. Theyre
drawn here for such offerings as free English language practice
sessions, EducationUSA advising, library resources and cultural
programs. The venue also allows them to voice frustrations and
concerns about the political situation.
Shahina Sultana, the American Centers deputy library director,
said shes delighted to engage our audiences in a secure space.
The recent turmoil, she said, has built our resilience, challenged
our creativity and helped us build bridges with Bangladeshs youth
population by making them aware of our many program offerings.
We had to learn the importance of adapting, remaining positive and
using social media and text messaging to keep our users alert.
The American Centers English Club is wildly popular; its
meetings are regularly packedeven an unadvertised one drew 83
young Bangladeshis, far more than the usual 50. Through the club,
the embassy facilitates collaboration between teachers, students
and members of civil society, while helping participants gain the
improved English skills needed for better job opportunities and learn
to speak their minds freely.
We believe in turning obstacles into opportunities, observed
American Center staff member Bimol Nokrek. He said the current
situation is a perfect opportunity to engage new audiences and

Next Level Hip Hop Exchange participants dance before an audience of 1,200 at
the Shilpakala National Academy.

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Photo by Anshul Gupta

The author leads a discussion at the American Center focusing on Black History Month and the
history of nonviolent protest in America.

Photo by Robert Rebeiro

strengthen existing relationships. Weve depended on long-standing partners

and worked more closely with embassy Foreign Service officers during this
time to host the English Club.
Other American Center Dhaka initiatives include:
. Chat with a Diplomat, a lecture series in which FSOs and eligible family
members lead discussions about U.S. culture and policy;
. A lecture series in which law students learn about U.S. diversity, respect
for human rights, tolerance and non-violence as a means for promoting
social change;
. The Music Club, a creative outlet for participants to voice their feelings
by writing songsand improving their English and critical thinking skills;
. The Cinema Club, which screens popular American films and serves as a
catalyst for conversational English;
. Next Level Hip Hop Exchange Program, through which thousands of
young Bangladeshis saw 60 young hip hop artists during a 12-day workshop
on using music and dance for cultural expression;
. American Center: Building Friendships, the public affairs sections (PAS)
primetime television show, which reaches thousands of viewers monthly;
. Poetry master classes, led by a Foreign Service spouse, to inspire students
and provide a platform for creative writing.
The American Center has also hosted EducationUSAs South Asia Tour, with
help from two Fulbright English language fellows. The education fair with U.S.
university representatives also involved U.S. exchange program participants, who
hosted essay and interview workshops, as youths digitally participated in advising
sessions via Skype. More than 1,000 students attended the three-day fair at the
embassys American Space, located near Dhakas university district. (The space
attracts approximately 5,000 visitors every month to a range of programs tied to
themes such as business development, human rights awareness, education, youth
and womens empowerment, and artistic expression.)
The PAS team, explained American Center Director Ann McConnell,
reflects the warmth of the Bangladeshi culture and represents an extended
family that benefits from fantastic interagency collaboration and often sees
spouses, members of household and expat Americans leading programs on
all kinds of topics related to the United States.
The best way to respond to the constraints of living in Bangladesh, she
continued, has been to collectively channel our energies to the positivity
inside, and that, she added, has been made easier by how our youthful
Bangladeshi audiences are enthusiastic and appreciative learners.

New Solutions

Competition promotes
entrepreneurialism

By Kathryn Pharr, manager, Science,

Technology, and Innovation Program, OES

ntrepreneurs in the Departments

Global Innovation through Science
and Technology (GIST) are working
to create innovations that could warn people
about fires in their shantytowns, provide
affordable textbooks for students and help
farmers turn vegetable waste into a commodity.
GIST, run by OES, uses science, technology
and innovation to solve local and global
problems, combat violent extremism, and
empower youth and women.
Worldwide, there exists a large population of
unemployed 15- to 29-year-olds, perpetuating
the cycle of poverty. Educated but jobless
youths have engaged in civil unrest, even
violent extremism, but some channel their
energy more creatively, using strong science
and technology backgrounds to generate
startups that solve problems and create jobs.
Many of these youths from around the
world will join President Obama at the Global
Entrepreneurship Summit (GES) in Nairobi,
Kenya, at the end of July. Since 2011, the finals
of GISTs annual global Tech-I competition
have been an integral part of the GES.
GIST Tech-I winners from Africa have
included Tonee Ndungu, whose father
wanted to start a village school but had no
money for textbooks. He and Ndungu came
up with the idea for the startup Kytabu,
which allows families to purchase digital
lessons individually, rather than buy whole
textbooks. They can study the lessons on
digital tablets and mobile phones, with the
texts priced affordably. In 2013, Ndungu
met Secretary of State John Kerry at the GES

Tech-Is Best Female Entrepreneur of 2014, Cynthia

Ndubuisi, works on a project. Photo courtesy of AAAS

Tonee Ndungu, who came up with an idea to reduce the cost of textbooks, speaks at a GIST meeting.
Photo courtesy of CRDF Global

device measures the rate that a homes

and won Tech-Is Startup Stage, when he
temperature is rising, not the ambient
already had 60 users in Kenya.
smoke or heat, allowing it to detect
Ndungu credits GIST with giving
a fire more accurately. Devices for
him great global and local exposure, but
use in individual shacks within a
hes also persistent: He spends most of
60-meter radius are linked together
his time traveling to villages throughout
as a network, so that when a fire is
Kenya demonstrating the product and
detected, all network devices sound
making direct sales. Today, most of his
the alarm, creating a community1,327 customers are actually in refugee
wide response to the fire within
camps in the north, where, without
seconds. Lumkani sells directly to
Kytabu, children would not have access to
NGOs and also works with them on
educational materials.
cofinancing to ensure communities
Tech-Is Best Female Entrepreneur of 2014,
can afford the devices. Gluckman
Cynthia Ndubuisi, grew up in Nigeria where
has launched an Indiegogo campaign
cassava is a staple food crop. Farmers there
to allow people around the world
sell cassava but burn the peelings, resulting
to buy these devices for the shanty
in 10 million tons of toxic carbon monoxide
communities in South Africa.
annually. Her startup, KPC, created an
GIST entrepreneurs innovations
environmentally friendly process to turn
keep comingmore are expected
cassava peelings into nutritional livestock feed
from the 2015 Tech-I finalists, to be
that farmers can sell, increasing their revenue.
announced June 15, as well as through
Ndubuisi is now working with an agricultural
other GIST activities.
engineer to decrease the drying time from
three days to one hour and is reinvesting
in her community. Her CAMY
Foundation has mentored more than
450 aspiring young businesswomen in
Nigeria and Zimbabwe.
Last year, David Gluckman
of South Africa won the Startup
Stage of Tech-I with his company,
Lumkani, which addresses the needs
of urban shantytown settlements.
There, the smoke from controlled
fires used for cooking, lighting and
heating prevents traditional smoke
detectors from distinguishing the
uncontrolled, fatal ones that often
occur. Homes in the shantytowns
are so close together that fire
spreads quickly, destroying lives
David Gluckman of South Africa won the Startup Stage of Tech-I
and property. Lumkanis detection
with a company that addresses urban shantytowns' needs.
Photo courtesy of AAAS
STATE MAGAZINE

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39

WEAmericas TechCamp
Promoting women-led business growth
By Diane La Voy, foreign affairs officer, Office of eDiplomacy,
IRM, and Stefanie Fabrico, economic inclusion officer, Office
of Economic Policy and Summit Coordination, WHA.

omens participation in the

workforce has cut extreme poverty
by 30 percent in Latin America in
the last decade. One reason: Women promote
regional prosperity by reinvesting up to 90
percent of their earnings in their communities
and families.

Nelson Ayala, as he gets participants to their feet during the

ice-breaker at the WEAmericas' TechCamp in San Salvador.
Photo by Juan Quintero

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JUNE 2015

entrepreneurs digital strategies for growing their businesses.

The Womens Entrepreneurship in the

Americas (WEAmericas) initiative, launched
by President Obama in 2012, seeks to harness
this potential by increasing womens access
to markets, capital, capacity building and
leadership opportunities. WEAmericas more
than 40 public-private partnerships are expected

"Which dance is better, the tango or the merengue?" asks emcee

40

During a speed geeking session, technology trainer Rodolfo Salazar offers female
Photo by Juan Quintero

to reach at least 20,000 women throughout

the region by the end of 2015 and upwards of
100,000 women by 2019.
In one of the initiatives latest partnerships,
the Department and local partners
conducted a series of four TechCamps for
women entrepreneurs in Argentina, Bolivia,

Colombia and El Salvador. The WEAmericas

TechCamps seek to promote gender equality
and involve WHA, the Office of eDiplomacy,
U.S. embassies in those nations and a local
partner with long-standing ties to networks of
women entrepreneurs.
Since 2010, the Department has used
more than 40 TechCamps to connect civil
society organizations, journalists and other
rights activists across the globe with low-cost,
easy-to-use technological tools and concepts.
However, the WEAmericas TechCamps are the
first to focus on women entrepreneurs. At each
event, the participants work with technology
experts to co-create solutions that offer new
ways for women entrepreneurs to overcome
barriers when starting and growing small- to
medium-size enterprises. Nearly 400 women
entrepreneurs have participated, opening new
doors for themselves and their businesses.
The first WEAmericas TechCamp, in October
2014 in Cali, Colombia, was a two-day event
involving a speed geeking session in which
rotating groups of 10 participants moved from
one table to the next in five-minute intervals.
Experts at each table explained the technology
on display, such as crowdfunding, e-commerce
website development, mobile applications and
social media. The event offered interactive
training and brainstorming sessions and
opportunities to work with technology experts
in groups to develop solutions to challenges.
These were later presented to the whole group at
the events end.
The women at the Cali event learned to sell
their products online and create crowdfunding
campaigns. They also developed digital media
strategies, posting descriptions of their products
on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and Twitter;
purchased a domain name; and built a website
before the end of the TechCamp. At the
second TechCamp in the WEAmericas series,
held this year in San Salvador, participants
learned of new opportunities for jump-starting
their businesses, including a comprehensive
approach to enhance the international
branding of Salvadoran handicrafts through
the use of green seals of approval and organic
certification. Some women applied digital tools
to organizing their business responsibilities to
achieve a better work-life balance.
At the third WEAmericas TechCamp in
Bolivia, volunteer technology trainers from
the Colombia camp helped in other ways. In

one case, a budding entrepreneur learned to

use the short messaging service function on
smartphones to conduct a marketing poll of
fellow participants, who played the role of her
customers and expressed interest in products she
had advertised online.
At each WEAmericas TechCamp,
participants promoted their products and
offered information about their services,
and networked to make connections or find
opportunities to source materials and services
from each other. They remain in contact
with one another through a WEAmericas
TechCamp Series Facebook group, which
has more than 400 active members, many of
them sharing best practices daily and making
valuable business connections.
TechCamps expert technology trainers have
continued to provide participants with advice
long after each TechCamp has ended. Local
Chambers of Commerce are also involved by
their presence at many of the TechCamps and
helping introduce the women entrepreneurs
to potential customers.
Private-sector partnerships are at the core
of the WEAmericas initiative. For instance,
through the Departments partnership with
Ernst & Young (EY), local affiliates in each
of the four countries hosting the TechCamps
awarded business mentorships to participants. A
Bolivian representative of a European software
firm was so impressed by EYs follow-on support,

Four of the technology trainers introduce themselves

to participants at the WEAmericas TechCamp in Santa
Cruz, Bolivia.

Photo by Samaruddin Stewart

his company offered impromptu awards to

five camp participants for tech mentoring and
support in developing software applications.
A follow-up assessment conducted six months
after the TechCamp in Colombia impressed
Economic Officer Victoria Cedeo, who found
most participants were inspired to rethink their
entire business and general marketing strategy
redefining their clientele and redesigning their
logosbefore launching their online stores.
The TechCamp has changed lives, agreed
Economic Specialist Camilo Cardozo. He
recalled how one participant had been injured
after the camp and was unable to conduct sales
visits with clients. Nonetheless, he continued,
She took the tools learned in TechCamp and
now 80 percent of her sales are online and
her business has been able to survive through
her injuries. The final TechCamp in the
WEAmericas TechCamp series took place May
7 and 8 in Argentina.

Veteran WEAmericas technology trainer Cynthia Hellen teaches women entrepreneurs in Bolivia
about digital storytelling.

Photo by Samaruddin Stewart

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After
Hours

Blade Judger

FSO is panelist at skating competitions

By Sandor Galambos, senior investment specialist,
U.S. Embassy in Bern

y day, Im a Locally Employed Staff member in the Commercial

Service, promoting foreign direct investments through the
presidents SelectUSA initiative. Outside of work hours, Im
an internationally ranked figure skating judge, representing the
International Skating Union (ISU) at international competitions all over
the world.
When I was younger, my siblings and I were competitive skaters, but even
then I wanted to be a judge. I got my chance to enter judging after the 2002
Winter Olympics, during which a figure skating scandal forced the ISU to
implement rigorous requirements that opened the field to new and aspiring
judges. When the Swiss Skating Federation sought candidates for training as
a type of judge called a technical specialist (TS), I put myself forward. Once
accepted, I began judging a multitude of regional and national competitions
in Switzerland. And then, in 2008, I was nominated by the Swiss Skating
Federation to take part in the annual ISU seminar in Frankfurt, after which
I could pursue an international career.
After an arduous training week in Frankfurt, deepening my knowledge
and practicing with colleagues from around the world, I passed the
rigorous ISU exam and was certified to officiate in international
competitions. Before being eligible to judge for Junior Grand Prix and
Senior Grand Prix competitions, European Championships, Junior
World Championships, World Championships and the Olympics, I had
to undergo a waiting period of two years, all the while gaining additional
experience in international competitions.
Finally, I was eligible to take the exam to be a TS, knowing that
only a handful of applicants were likely to pass. I immersed myself in
the world of skating, though, and when I passed, I became an officially
accredited international skating judge.
In the simplest terms, a TS judge sits on the technical panel assessing
a skaters performance, awarding marks during competitions. The
panela TS and his/her assistant and a technical controller (TC)
judges each element of a skating routine, with the TS calling a specific
element for marking by the panel. The technical panel then uses instant
replay video to make verifications, for instance, to determine the skaters
exact foot position at takeoff and landing of a jump or variations in
the spins and level of difficulty of the step sequence. The panel then
determines the routines final score. If there are disagreements within the
panel, the issue is resolved by majority vote.
Theres only a short time for judging after a skater finishes his or her
program, and the technical panel must make decisions in seconds. At one
European championship, my judging colleagues and I faced numerous
tough decisions because we had to review the routine in slow-motion video
after the skater had finished. In judging, you know that you are up against
the time, chiefly because TV stations have a rigorous broadcasting schedule.
In this instance, I knew the time we had available affected who would
be among the top three skaters.

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The technical panel of the men's event at the World Championships in Shanghai
in March included, from left, Kelly Cruickshank, assistant technical specialist
(Canada); Ranko Hirai, video replay operator (Japan); the author, technical
specialist (Switzerland); Alexander Lakernik, technical controller (Russia);
Alexander Kuznetsov, data replay operator (Russia).
Photo courtesy of the International Skating Union

I served in my first ISU appointment at a Junior Grand Prix in

Innsbruck in 2011 and received three high-level ISU appointments
the following season. This led to my participation on a panel at the
World Championships in Canada in March 2013. I was humbled
and honored, since Id be working with some of the finest ice
skaters in the world. At the World Championships, the Olympic
gold medalist from the Vancouver Olympics in 2010, Kim Yuna
from South Korea, returned to competitive skating after sitting out
two seasons, but faced stiff competition. Nonetheless, she won her
second gold medal in the World Championships by a landslide.
More recently, I returned from judging the mens competition
at the World Championships in Shanghai at the end of March. In
China, I was impressed by the skaters as they did dizzyingly fast
spins and some of the most difficult tricks ever attempted on ice
skates, including quads, triple axels and triple/triple combinations,
all with ease and grace. Their most astounding feat was the speed
they picked up going into the triple jumps, executing those tricks
with huge, often dangerously long trajectories.
TS judges must be good team players, deeply knowledgeable
about all facets of skating, able to work under time pressure
and having the highest moral standards. When competition
gets underway, all judges must stay focused, remain calm and
concentrate on the task at hand, regardless of who is performing.
But it isnt all work, stress and pressure. Being on judging panels
in international competitions also lets me interact with colleagues
from all walks of life and many countries. In my judging, as in
my work at the embassy, I apply the same rules to everyone, using
my best judgment to accomplish the task at hand. In skating, one
must make quick, good decisions based upon technical knowledge,
understanding of the rules and experience.
My success as a judge, I believe, comes from my commitment to
advocating and practicing the highest degree of ethics and fair play.
I always say to myself, I am doing it for the sport and the skaters,
and I do my best at practice and during every competition to give
something back to the sport of figure skating.
So if an international skating competition is coming to your
country, dont hesitate to look me upI just might be at the judges
table, and Im always happy to meet friends and colleagues from the
greater U.S. government community.

Lying in State

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in brief...
Players Inspire Saudi Female Athletes
In March, Mission Saudi Arabia hosted a week of basketball clinics and
speaking engagements featuring NBA International Operations Officer Becky
Bonner and former WNBA player Ruth Riley, under the Sports Envoy program.
Posing with Saudi female athletes during the program are, at rear, from left,
Jeddah United Girls Basketball Team Coach Deb Packwood, Becky Bonner,
Ruth Riley and Jeddah Consul General Todd Holmstrom. On March 22, Riley
and Bonner delivered to Saudi female basketball players several boxes of WNBA
merchandise during a reception at the U.S. Consulate in Jeddah.

Photo by John Elliott

CAO Visits Cameroons North

Inaugurating a hand-pumped well in Badjouma Radier, Cameroon, are, from left, the secretary
general of the nations North Region, the director of the NGO Counterpart International,
traditional ruler Lamido de Dey, the deputy mayor of the Pitoa Council and Merlyn Schultz,
cultural affairs officer at the U.S. Embassy in Yaound. On March 5-6, Schultz visited two North
Region towns for outreach with youth, interfaith groups and women, affirming the region as a top
U.S. priority, given insecurity arising from Boko Harams attacks in the adjacent Far North region.


Photo by Ernest Nassou

Quilt Highlights ADAs Anniversary

State affiliates of the VSA, the international organization on arts and disability, made
squares for this quilt celebrating the 40 Days Around the World Festival. The festival
commemorates the 40th anniversary of Ambassador Jean Kennedy Smiths founding of
the VSA (formerly, Very Special Arts), which sponsors arts education for people with
disabilities.The Disability Action Group, a Department employee affinity and advocacy
group, is sponsoring an exhibition of the quilt in June at the Harry S Truman Building
as part of its 25th anniversary celebration of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Photo by Tiffani Bing

Department Top-Ranked as Employer

Forbes magazine has ranked the Department of State as one of Americas best employers for 2015,
the only federal agency the magazine ranked in the top 50 this year. The rankings were based on a
survey of more than 20,000 American workers at large U.S. employers. Respondents were asked how
likely they would be to recommend their employer to someone else. The Department recently also
ranked second in an assessment of innovativeness among all large federal agencies. The assessment
was based on data from the Partnership for Public Service.
Photo by Luis A. Jimenez, Jr.

U.S., Japan Honor War Dead in Palau

U.S. Ambassador to Palau Amy Hyatt walks ahead of the memorial wreath at the
April 9 commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II on the
Palauan island of Peleliu, site of one of the bloodiest battles in the Pacific theater.
She is followed by U.S. Navy Rear Admiral Bette Bolivar and, behind the wreath,
Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko of Japan. Also attending were the presidents
and first ladies of Palau, the Federated States of Micronesia and the Marshall Islands.

Photo by John Thanner

44

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STATEMENT OF OWNERSHIP, MANAGEMENT, AND CIRCULATION

Retirements
Civil Service

Department
Supports Model UN
Amara Manoogian of the Bureau
of Educational and Cultural Affairs
shows her support of the Bureau of
International Organization Affairs
Model U.N.s (MUN) social media
campaign on Twitter, Facebook and
Instagram, part of the Departments
involvement in a Model U.N.
Conference that brought together
more than 700 students and guests in
April. The campaign targeted MUN
students and alumni, and focused
on a conversation about the U.N.s
value. The Department provided a
photo booth for photos of employees
with MUN experience and students
attending the conference.
Photo by Yuna Jacobson

Allen, Florence D.
Cramer, David P.
Gandle, David Lamont
Goodsell, Gene S.
Lash, Fred Curtis
Lee, Mary P.
Millard, James J.
Mitchell, Stephen Eric
Ohi, Kamran
Peterson, Robert B.
Sawchyn, Peter
Silva, Michael A.
Taylor, Marsha R.
Tomchik, Stephen J.
Tontz, Brenda Kay
Wels, Calvin Lee
Wiles, Dean Eric
Williams, James E.

Foreign Service

Davis, Lisa A.
Feingold, Russell Dana
Gagne, Lise M.
Leonard, Ruth E.
Meehan, Niall E.
Mussomeli, Joseph A.
ONeal, Adrienne S.
Power, Daniel J.
Rajkovich, Kathryn M.
Ruddy, Francis M.
Scollan, Michael T.
Valdez, Alejandra
Waller, James Michael

(Required by 39 USC 3685)

1. Publication title: State Magazine.
2. Publication number: 08-0110.
3. Filing date: May 7, 2015.
4. Issue frequency: Monthly, except combined July/August issue.
5. Number of issues published annually: 11.
6. Annual subscription price: N/A
7. Complete mailing address of known office of publication: State Magazine, U.S.
Department of State, HR/ER/SMG, 2401 E St. N.W. SA-1, Room H-236,
Washington, DC 20522
8. Complete mailing address of the headquarters or general business office of
publisher: U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Human Resources, 2001 C Street,
NW, Washington, DC 20520.
9. Full names and complete mailing addresses of publisher, editor, and managing
editor: Isaac D. Pacheco, State Magazine, U.S. Department of State, HR/ER/SMG,
2401 E Street, NW, H236, Washington, DC 20522.
10. Owner: U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Human Resources, 2001 C Street, NW,
Washington, DC 20520.
11. Known bondholders, mortgagees, and other security holders owning or holding 1
percent or more of total amount of bonds, mortgages, or other securities: None.
13. Publication title: State Magazine.
14. Issue date for circulation data: October 2014.
15. Extent and nature of circulation: See information below.
16. Publication of statement of ownership. Publication required. Will be printed in the
June 2015 issue of this publication.
17. Signature and title of editor, publisher, business manager, or owner: Isaac D.
Pacheco, Editor, State Magazine, 5/7/15.
I certify that all information furnished on this form is true and complete. I understand
that anyone who furnishes false or misleading information on this form or who omits
material or information requested on the form may be subject to criminal sanctions
(including fines and imprisonment) and/or civil sanctions (including civil penalties).

a. Total number of copies (net press run)

b. Paid circulation (by mail and outside the mail)
1. Mailed outside-county paid subscriptions
stated on PS form 3541 (include
paid distribution above nominal rate,
advertisers proof and exchange copies)
2. Mailed in-county paid subscriptions
stated on form 3541 (include paid
distribution above nominal rate,
advertisers proof and exchange copies)
3. Paid distribution outside the mails including
sales through dealers and carriers,
street vendors, counter sales, and
other paid distribution outside USPS
4. Paid distribution by other classes or
mailed through the USPS
(e.g., first-class mail)
c. Total paid distribution
(sum of 15b[1], [2], [3], and [4])
d. Free or nominal rate distribution
(by mail and outside the mail)
1. Outside-county copies included on PS form 3541
2. In-county copies included on PS form 3541
3. Copies mailed at other classes through
the USPS (e.g., first-class mail)
4. Distribution outside the mail
(carriers of other means)
e. Total free or nominal rate distribution
(sum of 15d[1], [2], [3], and [4])
f. Total distribution (sum of 15c and 15e)
g. Copies not distributed 0 0
h. Total (sum of 15f and 15g)
i. Percent paid (15c divided by 15f times 100)

Average No.
Copies Each
Issue During
Preceding
12 Months
20,480

No. Copies of
Single Issue
Published
Nearest to
Filing Date
22,200

5,115

5,616

N/A

N/A

15,365

16,584

N/A

N/A

20,480

22,200

N/A
N/A

N/A
N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A
20,480

N/A
22,200

20,480
100%

22,200
100%

Ethics Answers

Q: We are gearing up for our July 4th National Day event and have several questions about the solicitation process, including
where we need to report the gifts and how extravagant an event we may hold. Is there any guidance about what we can and
cannot do?
A: Yes. The policies surrounding our National Day events are set forth at 2 FAM 962.8, which has been recently revised. These
policies are intended to ensure that our National Day events remain focused on the purpose of this important representational event.
For example, the FAM provision explains the factors posts should consider before soliciting a donor, to avoid conicts of interest, and
directs posts to target U.S. companies and only certain foreign companies. It also instructs posts to consider the scale of an event
in relation to the current economic conditions of both the United States and the host nation. The FAM also includes the policies
concerning donor recognition, entertainment and many other topics. Further, an exhibit to the FAM (2 FAM Exhibit 960(B)) contains a
nonexhaustive list of clauses that may not be included in a donor agreement. For accounting and reporting procedures, please review
this years Fourth of July cable.
Ethics Answers presents hypothetical ethical scenarios Department employees might face. For help with real ethics questions, email ethicsattorneymailbox@state.gov.

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Medical
Report

Preventing the Spread of Malaria

Photo by Arne Hoel / World Bank

By Melissa Jefferson, medical provider, M/MED/FSHP

rotecting Department employees and

their families from malaria, and raising
awareness throughout the foreign
affairs community about the disease, is an
ongoing priority for the Office of Medical
Services (MED).
TheCenters for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC) estimated in 2013 that 198
million cases of malaria occurred worldwide
and 500,000 people died.Most of these cases
were in Africa, and most deaths occurred in
children. In 2014, U.S. embassy health units
reported 27 confirmed cases of malaria among
our diplomats and family members. All were in
Africa. At least 14 occurred in West Africa, and
nine were children and adolescents.
Keeping our workforce and families
malaria-free is a shared responsibility. Malaria
is a potentially fatal infection that is entirely
preventable by following MEDs prescribed
course of action. The CDC, Peace Corps
Office of Medical Services and MED agree
and research showsthat the benefits of
taking anti-malarial medications far outweigh
potential side effects or the risks associated
with infection. And with several medications
available, there is a fit for almost everybody.
Malaria infection is caused by a parasite
that is transmitted through the bite of the
female Anopheles mosquito. Of course, not
all mosquitoes are infected with the parasite,
and there is no way to tell from the bite
alone whether the parasite is present in the
insects saliva or which strain of the illness
might lead to infection. Incubation periods
vary and often the infection is heralded

46

STATE MAGAZINE

//

JUNE 2015

by flu-like symptoms. Bites typically occur

between dusk and dawnduring social events,
dining out, garden parties or even inside
homes.In last years cases reported by posts
health units, the patients were either not taking
anti-malarial medications or not taking them
correctly. Malaria is most severe in people who
have never been infected before, including
tourists, expatriates and children.Acquired
immunity occurs among native populations
in countries where malaria is endemic, after
multiple, repeated infections over many
years.Unfortunately, deaths still occur among
Africans who return home after living abroad
and assume that they are still immune.
Malaria prevention includes, first of all,
protecting yourself and your children from
infection by taking anti-malarial medications
for the duration of a tour at a post in a malariaaffected nation. These drugs are prescribed at
MEDs travel clinics in Washington, D.C.,
FSI and at overseas health units.Anti-malarial
drugs should be started before leaving for
the malaria-affected area, so as to arrive with
a protective level of medication. The drugs
also must be continued for a variable period
after leaving the malaria-affected area.There
are many misconceptions about malaria
medications, so open communication with
health providers is critical in selecting the right
one, understanding potential side effects and
changing medications if needed.Malaria risk
is posted on HRs Bidding Tool, and MED
recommends that anyone unable or unwilling
to take anti-malarial drugs should avoid highrisk countries.

Second, prevent mosquito bites by using an

approved insect repellant such as 35 percent DEET
on exposed skin.Limit exposed skin by wearing
lightweight, long-sleeved shirts and pants after
dusk.Clothes that are treated with repellants such as
permethrin add an additional barrier to mosquitos
reaching the skin. Since mosquitoes can transmit
a host of other infections besides malaria, regular
use of repellents is widely recommended as an
essential preventative measure. Third, reduce indoor
nighttime bites by using approved, insecticideimpregnated mosquito nets that tuck under the
mattress and are carefully inspected for holes.
Mosquito repellents are available at outdoor
and camping supply stores and can be ordered
online.Sprays are available as pumps, mitigating
the concern about shipping aerosols through
diplomatic mail.Posts are encouraged to provide
mosquito nets and stock recommended repellants,
so check before you move!
For more information, see Preventing Malaria
in Mission Communities (13 STATE 115618),
a comprehensive and excellent review of MEDs
recommendations and a must-read for anyone
posted in a country with malaria. In collaboration
with the Peace Corps and the CDC, MED produced
the video Know Malaria, in which medical officers
from the three agencies, including MEDs Chief of
Infectious Disease and Tropical Medicine, Dr. Greg
Martin, discuss the disease and prevention. The video
also highlights three victims of malaria, including
a Peace Corps volunteer who died in 2013.We
encourage everyone to watch the DVD, which is
available at post health units, at the MED office in
Washington and the FSI Transition Center.

Obituaries
William Quinn Beardslee, 44, a former

FSO, died March 24 at home in Arlington, Va.

He joined the Department in 1998 and served
in consular positions in Frankfurt (twice),
Mexico City and Washington, D.C., alongside
his tandem spouse. A trained attorney, he moved
to the Civil Service in 2010 to continue his work as an attorneyadvisor on immigration issues at State and the departments of
Labor and Homeland Security.He is fondly remembered by visa
office colleagues as dedicated, creative and generous. He enjoyed
turkey hunting and hiking with his children, and visiting every
beach he could find.

David H. Ernst, 94, a retired FSO, passed

away on Jan. 19 in Orleans, Mass. He served

in the Army during World War II and joined
the Department in 1948. His postings included
Cairo, Athens, Bombay, Paris, Suva and New
Delhi. Retiring in 1978, he returned home
to Massachusetts where he was active on numerous boards and
committees, was a member of the Cape Cod Commission and
helped establish the Wellfleet Conservation Trust. He put most of
his property in conservation with the Audubon Society. He enjoyed
sailing and shellfishing.

Mary S. Gaber, 89, a retired Foreign Service

secretary, died March 4 in Whittier, Calif. A
Peace Corps volunteer in Ghana before working
for the Department, she was posted from 1984
to 1991 to Berlin, Managua and Panama City.
She then became a librarian for the Hawaii State
Libraries before retiring in 2002. Volunteering was a big part of her
life, with more than 50 years as a member of Girl Scouts. She was
an avid bird-watcher, a member of the Audubon Society, enjoyed
hiking and belonged to the Hawaii Trail and Mountain Club.
Louis C. Hebert, 89, a retired FSO, died Nov.

2 at his home in Baton Rouge, La. He served in

the Army during World War II and the Korean
War, receiving a Purple Heart. During his 35-year
career, he served at posts in Belgium, Poland,
Romania, Czechoslovakia, Italy, Spain, Germany,
France, United Arab Emirates, Ethiopia, Egypt, Russia and China.
Retiring to Louisiana in 1990, he enjoyed gardening, substitute
teaching at Louisiana State University, church activities and keeping
in touch with friends and relatives throughout the world.

Monty Jomeruck, 85, wife of retired security

officer John Jomeruck, died Jan. 10 in Las
Vegas, Nev. She accompanied her husband
on tours to Frankfurt (twice), Rio de Janeiro,
Tokyo, Pretoria and Beijing, after which they
retired in Las Vegas. Once there, she held board
positions in a variety of clubs and was an active
volunteer at two hospitals.
Raymond C. Jorgenson, 76, a retired

FSO, died March 16 in Sandy Spring, Md.,

of Alzheimers disease. Inspired by President
Kennedys call to service, he joined the Foreign
Service in 1965 and served in Port of Spain,
Panama City, Lusaka, Tokyo and Monterrey.
After retirement in 1993, he became a full-time caregiver to his
granddaughters and volunteered as a teacher, helping immigrants
seeking citizenship.

Betty Harriet McCutchan, 62, a retired FSO,

died March 8 in Houston, Texas. After working as
an assistant district attorney in Texas, she joined the
Department and served as a consular officer in India,
Chile and Turkey. She then was DCM in Guyana and
regional director of the Office of Foreign Missions in
Houston before retiring in 2010. She was a member of the American
Association of University Women, PEO Sisterhood, Daughters of the
Republic of Texas, Chi Omega sorority and Memorial Drive United
Methodist Church, where she sang in the choir.
Anthony (Tony) Pawlicki, 89, a retired Foreign
Service secretary, died March 2 in Tucson, Ariz.
He served in the Marine Corps in the South Pacific
and China during World War II. He joined the
Department in 1982 and was posted to Brussels
(NATO), Bogot, Tegucigalpa and La Paz before
retiring in 1990.

Karl Spence Richardson, 76, a retired FSO, died

March 21 in Colorado Springs, Colo. After serving
in the Marine Corps, he joined the Department in
1964 and was posted to Venezuela, Vietnam, Japan
(several tours) and Seoul (twice). He was a Japanese
language instructor at the Air Force Academy, then a
political advisor to the Commander of Space Command in Colorado
Springs. After retirement in 1997, he helped with efforts to control
North Korean nuclear weapons programs. He loved the blue skies and
the broad spaces of Nebraskas Pine Ridge country.
Herman T. Skofield, 93, a retired FSO, died
March 14 in Keene, N.H. After serving in the Army
during World War II, he joined the Department in
1950. His postings included Berlin, Karachi, Vienna
and Bern. Before retiring in 1971, he served as
deputy director of the Office of European Affairs in
the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.
Alan White Trick, 92, a retired FSO with

the Foreign Agricultural Service, died April 3 in

Olympia, Wash. He served in the Army in Italy
during World War II and was awarded a Bronze Star
and a Purple Heart. His federal government service
began in 1957, and his overseas postings included
Hamburg, Bern, Warsaw, Moscow and Jakarta. He retired in Olympia
in 1983 and enjoyed skiing, fishing, reading and feasting on his wife
Janets exquisite cooking.

Janet Norwood, 91, wife of former FSO Bernard

Norwood, died March 27 from Alzheimers disease

in Austin, Texas. As an economist in the Bureau of
Labor Statistics, she rose to become commissioner for
more than 13 years. Appointed by Presidents Carter
and Reagan, she spearheaded BLS independence from
political pressures. She was the first female president of the Cosmos
Club, helping break a male-only tradition in Washingtons professional
society. Married 71 years, she accompanied her husband in his early
career to posts in Luxembourg, Belgium (USEC Mission in Brussels)
and for shorter assignments in Geneva (GATT trade conferences).

STATE MAGAZINE

//

JUNE 2015

47

El Salvador

Palau

End State
El Salvador Pg. 40

A woman prepares pupusas at an outdoor pupuseria near

San Salvador in the town of Tonacatepeque.



Photo by Robert Easton

Palau Pg. 44

A group of divers explores Blue Hole, a popular diving

destination near Koror.



Photo by Klaus Stiefel

Mexico

Pg. 5

Businesses and residences in Guanajuato, Mexico, create a

colorful mosaic as seen from the surrounding hillside.


Photo by Marcos Fernandez

Azerbaijan

Mexico

U.S. Department of State

Bureau of Human Resources
Washington, DC 20520

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